10 July – 16 October 2010
An anarchic world in miniature is revealed through the delicate, painstaking skill of Thomas Bewick (1753 – 1828). 140 tiny prints show woodsmen, wanderers and rascals of all ages roaming the countryside of Bewick’s native Northumberland.
Bewick is acknowledged to be master of the wood-cut; engraving images into box-wood using little tools he often made himself. Specialising in accurate depictions of animals and birds, he illustrated some of the greatest natural history encyclopaedias of his age such as the General History of Quadrupeds and the History of Birds. Among the main illustrations Bewick playfully added small, humorous vignettes that he called ‘tale-pieces’. He intended them to have a moral and be comments on human nature, especially our relationship with animals. This is the first exhibition devoted solely to these vignettes.
This extraordinary show was organised by Birmingham’s IKON gallery and has already received rave reviews. Don’t miss it.
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