De Verbeelders. Nederlandse Boekillustratie in de Twintigste Eeuw ed. by Saskia de Bodt (review)

In adult as well as in children’s literature, illustrations play an important role. Leafing through this comprehensive and richly illustrated history of Dutch illustration, anyone can tell that illustrations can deeply affect the viewer (and reader). Many of the images may evoke pleasant recollections of reading a certain book, memories often linked to the illustrations rather than to the words.

In six chronologically ordered chapters, the book discusses the importance of the illustrated book throughout the twentieth century. The overview includes not only children’s books, but other publishing sectors as well. A striking observation is that the illustrated book for adults occupies an important position at the turn of the twentieth century, only to be marginalized (due to limited numbers of copies) as the twentieth century progresses. By the final chapter, which covers the period from the 1990s up until 2014, the illustrated book turns out to have vanished completely from the adult market (with the notable exception of the graphic novel).

Each chapter focuses on one of the six periods under scrutiny, each headed by a well-structured introduction. In these historical introductions, factors are foregrounded which relate to social and political evolutions as well as developments within printing technology. In addition, ample attention is paid to the often overlooked programmes in art education, and its impact on the development and status of illustration. This also includes the specific influence particular teachers had on their pupils and the subsequent generations of illustrators.

These introductions are followed by short, three-to-four-page illustrator portraits of the main artists mentioned in the overview (whose names are printed in bold in the running text). These portraits, written by various authors, give further depth to the introductory sections. Instead of including as many illustrators as possible, Saskia de Bodt opted to present only those illustrators who made a substantial contribution to the art of book illustration. Artists such as M.C. Escher and Kurt Löb appear side by side with Rien Poortvliet and Anton Pieck or Max Velthuijs and Dick Bruna. The exemplary discussions of their work and contribution adds an extra dimension to the historical overviews.

Impressively, art historian Saskia de Bodt demonstrates how the developments of the illustrated book for adults on the one hand and for children on the other are interwoven and cannot be considered independently. Not surprisingly, the history from 1990 until 2014 (Chapter 6) has yet to be put in perspective. The distance in time to this period is too short and does not allow for clear trends to be discerned.

A book about illustrations would not work without illustrations, of course. Throughout the text, references are made (in a different color and between square brackets) to specific images. Graphic designer Brigitte Slangen put a lot of care into the design and layout, making sure the book itself would be a feast for the eyes. Unfortunately, there is no award for best graphic book design, otherwise she would definitely deserve it.