Edward Ardizzone’s life and work as an artist was beautifully captured by Gabriel White in this book published in 1979 by The Bodley Head.
White was a fellow student at the Westminster School of Art with Ardizzone and soon struck up a friendship which lead White to meeting Ardizzone’s sister, Betty whom he married in 1928 and would live at the family home until three years after Betty’s death.
This then, is a firsthand account of Ardizzone’s work, more specifically a look at his artwork than a biography but with more than enough depth to give the reader a sense of the artist’s life.
Edward ‘Ted’ Ardizzone had a unique style, he illustrated countless books, from children’s fiction to adult literary classics, he had a unique gift for capturing the essence of the story and White details many such examples throughout the book.
White’s close relationship to Ardizzone gives the reader an intimate insight into the artist’s life as a boy whose parents moved him frequently from town to town prompting him to find solace in drawing. As his talent grew along with his desire to study art so came the realisation that he would have to abandon it to pursue a career as a city clerk.
The lack of work in the office meant Ardizzone had plenty of time to secretly doodle at his desk, mastering the art of figure drawing by taking the sketches home to study and then paste into a notebook. By 1927 he had left his job to pursue his work, making small amounts here and there with book jacket designs until a well paid commission from the whisky company Johnny Walker eased his concerns.
The book is broken down as a biography of each stage of Ardizzone’s life from the early days to being a war artist, excerpts from his sketchbooks and illustrated diaries to his book covers and commercial work.
Ardizzone spent a year recording the war in North Africa from 1942 to ‘43, this was his least inspiring period by his own admission but his subsequent time in Sicily from 1943-45 produced some remarkable work. During this time he showed an admirable lack of concern for his own safety by travelling around the country on foot or by bike, not always knowing which side of enemy lines he was on. His record of WW2 amounts to around two hundred and seventy five drawings and watercolours, most of which are housed in the Imperial War Museum in London.
Ardizzone had a gift for capturing portraits, from the most simple of sketches to considerable detail, he often included himself be it at his desk or amongst friends. He seemed to have an eye for the ladies, particularly when painting holiday scenes for personal letters and postcards but what shone through most of all was a sense of innocent fun, of long lost summers, endless, magical childhoods and the band of close friends he enjoyed.
This is a lovely, comprehensive account of a life well lived, Ardizzone created images that captured the essence of the world at that time, he added life to classic literature and joyful innocence to children’s stories and it’s hard to imagine anyone doing a better job of his biography than White.
Further reading:
The Life and Bibliography of the Artist Paul Hogarth
Categories: Artists and Art Books, The Reading Room
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