The Awakening Artistry of Arthur Rackham’s Formative Years
Long before Arthur Rackham gained fame as an illustrator of fantasy realms, he navigated a conventional upbringing to discover his artistic calling. We explore the sparks that ignited his creativity on the road to masterful success.
Key Points
- Revered even by Punch early on, though his background held no fanciful myths
- Absorbed classics like Punch and Graphic as a child, esteeming their illustrators
- Pivotal exposure to Arthur Boyd Houghton’s striking Arabian Nights woodcuts
- Secret ambitions to emulate such artistic genius despite business career path
- Persisting after hours to hone skills at Lambeth School of Art under Sir William Llewellyn
- Relationships with gifted peers like Shannon, Ricketts and Townsend proved formative
- Sketching local nature scenes together on off days
Even the esteemed Punch magazine regards Rackham with serious acclaim. After delighting audiences young and old for decades, another admiring writer in 1922 can only follow the well-worn paths of praise laid out by earlier reviewers. Rackham’s artistic excellence has become legendary, yet there are no amusing myths or fanciful legends surrounding his rather straightforward upbringing to tantalize curious fans.
Raised in a proper English household, Rackham attended the City of London School, where like any child, he eagerly absorbed Punch and the Graphic. He continues to highly esteem those publications’ early masthead illustrators. The most pivotal step in Rackham’s artistic awakening was discovering the genius of the tragically overlooked one-eyed master Arthur Boyd Houghton, also hailed by John Singer Sargent. Pouring over Dalziel’s edition of Arabian Nights containing Houghton’s striking woodcut drawings ignited young Rackham’s imagination – he still proudly displays two original Houghton drawings in his collection.
Rackham secretly longed to become an illustrator of Houghton’s caliber, though his Admiralty Marshal father placed him on a more conventional business path at an insurance agency. But Rackham persisted sketching after hours, finding his statistical duties reasonably undemanding. Dissatisfied doodling as a mere amateur, he enrolled in night classes at the Lambeth School of Art under esteemed headmaster Sir William Llewellyn.
Fellow Lambeth students included future Punch editor F.A. Townsend, Butterfly founder Raven Hill, poet and engraver Sturge Moore, and the inseparable artist duo Shannon and Ricketts. Rackham feels particularly indebted to Charles Ricketts, already a dominating influence exuding rare artistic taste. They discussed the avant-garde movements brewing in France. Weekends and holidays were spent sketching nature on Wimbledon Common alongside these gifted peers and mentors – relationships as formative to Rackham as formal instruction.
Far from an overnight sensation, Rackham built his mastery through humble beginnings – first inspired by revered illustrators he would later join the ranks of. Nurturing his creativity alongside mentors and friends equally devoted to the craft.
