Botanical Prints by Henry Evans (review)

Books 343 Art of the Calendar. Mark Gabor. Harmony Books, New York. 1976. 128pp., illus. Paper, f6.95. Reviewed by John Adkins Richardson* Graphic and OpArt Mazes. Dave Phillips. Dover, New York, 1976. 56pp., illus. Paper, $2.00. Reviewed by J. S. Willson* Mazes are one of the most ancient and in some ways the most simple of graphical puzzles. They are currently back in fashion, and numerous books concerning their history and production have been published recently. In this small book Phillips adds 40 more mazes to the multitudealready known. Many of the designs are based on black and white patterns but cannot be classified as Op-art, asthey donot show any appreciable special visual effects. The publisher’s comment that they ‘incorporatebizarre kinetic op-art effects’ is erroneousand misleading, as in no case does the design change on movement of either book or reader. Most of the patterns are well drawn, but a few suffer from the fact that large-scale enlargement of a small design has resulted in poorly defined edges to the lines. The seven coloured mazes do not seem to be any more intriguing or visually effective than the others. The chief characteristic of most of the designs is that Phillips does not use dead ends; instead, a wrong route eventually leads the frustrated reader back to the starting place. The 3dimensional mazes bring a novel approach to the path-finding problem, and many have a complex subtlety that is only appreciated after much patient effort. The book will provide many hours of tormenting amusement and could prove to be an ideal companion for the convalescing invalid or the bored commuter. Botanical Prints. Henry Evans. W. H. Freeman, 1977. 67pp., illus. f 17.95. Reviewed by Sean O’Driscoll** This book is not about botanical prints in general, but about one man’s successful efforts at the unusual idea of using linocuts for plant illustrations. The Foreword is written by an acknowledged expert on the general subject of botanical illustrations, Wilfred Blunt, whose Art of Botanical Illustration is probably the most popular in its field. Blunt evidently first saw Evans’ botanical linocuts some 15 years ago and was captivated by them. Linoleum-block prints are normally associated with rather crude results; certainly they cannot hope to attain the clarity of watercolours or of engravings on metal. Nevertheless, despite the limitations of his medium, Evans’ lines approach those of a fine wood engraving. He proves himself a master of botanical knowledge as well as of his chosen technique. Instead oftheusual crude linocut print, Evans’ ‘flower portraits’ are beautifully designed and executed and easily identified, despite the simplification dictated by his medium: he adds enough characteristic detail to communicate the essence of each subject. His notes will be found useful to anyone interested in multicolour linocut graphics in general. Many useful tips are included on cutting the blocks, tool-sharpening, colour overlays and colour-printing relationships, as well as hints on choosing papers. He advocates that one should develop, over a period of years, an ability to mix a colour to match recollections: this is an interesting idea that seems to warrant further scientificanalysis. The book contains 33 colour plates and 29 reproductions in black and white. Actually, the black and white illustrations are more faithful to the original block prints and, therefore, more useful from the standpoint of technical analysis. The reproductions of the colour prints suffer from the fact that the colour separation plates were made with a halftone screen, apparently from a desire to indicate more faithfully a multitude of flower shades with a minimum of impressions. The photo-engraving screen, however, results in the normal array of fine dots that tend to obscure any study of the more finely engraved details. Nevertheless, the reader is given a good idea of the actual colours employed and of how the original lino blocks were registered and in some cases, overprinted. Evans’ book is probably the best available guide for graphic artists interested in the specialized field of botanical illustration by linocut. *The Manchester Grammar School, Old Hall Lane, Manches- **Irish International Arts Centre, Castle Matrix, Rathkeale, ter M I3 OXT, England. County Limerick, Eire. Gabor...