In 2012 Penguin Books published the second of a trilogy of books by the artist David Gentleman which focused on his home city of London. Published in paperback with a dust jacket and running to 400 pages it is a month by month look at London through the eyes of an artist who has been illustrating the city since the sixties.
This is a book brimming with sketches, drawings and watercolours, the amount is really quite something. Some are very simple pen outlines, others complex watercolours. The whole scope of the city is covered, from the latest skyscraper to an underpass and everything possible in between.
If ever there was a labour of love then this is surely it. Gentleman’s love of his city is clear, his knowledge of its history comprehensive. He has been quietly observing and recording its evolution for decades: ‘The best views of central London are from the top of Primrose Hill. I’ve seen the city grow from long before Centre Point inched its way up in the 1970s to the present well -stocked and still growing plethora of skyscrapers’
This was a departure from the hardback coffee-table format of his previous books, from this it is easy to imagine his personal journals with his quick, often quirky style of sketching. The majority of his work is outlined in situ, he sits or stands opposite his subject to best capture the essence of the scene backing them up with photographs for finishing the details in his studio. For me this is what makes his art so appealing, it feels real and especially when you look at his earlier works a snapshot of a time and place long since gone.
This book came to me on the back of reading most of Iain Sinclair’s brilliant books about London. Like Gentleman he is an astute observer of London’s history and changing times, witnessing the expansion of its edgelands as the developers moved in and pushed out. The 2012 Olympic Games was a prime example of a tale of two cities; for those looking in it was an exciting time of big project building but for those looking out, a destruction of time, place and belonging begging the question of must everything change?
For those less familiar with London the artist shows its green spaces, the city is thankfully still home to some stunning ancient trees and when in leaf provide Gentleman with a rich array of colours to capture. His use of greens and shading is remarkable, he manages to use colour over the simplest of outlines to stunning effect reminding us how invaluable trees are in urban areas in so many ways.
Gentleman depicts a city in change throughout the seasons along with a sense of the life of the artist. There are pieces of advice for the traveller and for those less willing or able, a unique set of eyes to bring London to our homes.
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Categories: David Gentleman
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