Stippling
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| - | '''James Gillray''', sometimes spelled '''Gilray''' (born [[August 13]], [[1757]] in [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]]; died [[June 1]], [[1815]]), was a [[English caricaturist]] and [[printmaker]] famous for his [[etching|etched]] political and social [[satire]]s, mainly published between [[1792]] and [[1810]]. | ||
| - | == Early life == | + | '''Stippling''' is the creation of a pattern simulating varying [[Grayscale|degrees of solidity]] or shading by using small dots. Such a pattern may occur in nature and these effects are frequently emulated by artists. |
| - | He was born in [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]]. His father, a native of [[Lanark]], had served as a soldier, losing an arm at the [[Battle of Fontenoy]], and was admitted, first as an inmate, and afterwards as an outdoor pensioner, at [[Chelsea Hospital]]. Gillray commenced life by learning letter-engraving, at which he soon became an adept. This employment, however, proving irksome, he wandered about for a time with a company of strolling players. After a very checkered experience he returned to London and was admitted a student in the [[Royal Academy]], supporting himself by engraving, and probably issuing a considerable number of caricatures under fictitious names. His caricatures are almost all in [[etching]], some also with [[aquatint]], and a few using [[stipple]] technique. None can correctly be described as [[engraving]]s, although this term is often loosely or ignorantly used of them. [[William Hogarth|Hogarth]]'s works were the delight and study of his early years. ''Paddy on Horseback'', which appeared in 1779, is the first caricature which is certainly his. Two caricatures on [[George Brydges Rodney|Rodney]]'s naval victory, issued in 1782, were among the first of the memorable series of his political sketches. | + | |
| - | == Adult life == | + | ==Art== |
| - | The name of Gillray's publisher and print seller, Miss Hannah Humphrey—whose shop was first at 227 [[Strand, London|Strand]], then in [[New Bond Street]], then in [[Old Bond Street]], and finally in [[St James's Street]]—is inextricably associated with that of the caricaturist himself. Gillray lived with Miss (often called Mrs) Humphrey during the entire period of his fame. It is believed that he several times thought of marrying her, and that on one occasion the pair were on their way to the church, when Gillray said: "This is a foolish affair, methinks, Miss Humphrey. We live very comfortably together; we had better let well alone." There is no evidence, however, to support the stories which scandalmongers invented about their relations. Gillray's plates were exposed in Humphrey's shop window, where eager crowds examined them. One of his later prints, ''Very Slippy-Weather'', shows Miss Humphrey's shop in St. James's Street in the background. In the shop window a number of Gillray's previously published prints, such as ''Tiddy-Doll the Great French Gingerbread Maker, Drawing Out a New Batch of Kings; His Man, Talley Mixing up the Dough'', a satire on [[Napoleon]]'s king-making proclivities, are shown in the shop window. His last work, from a design by [[Henry William Bunbury|Bunbury]], is entitled ''Interior of a Barber's Shop in Assize Time'', and is dated 1811. While he was engaged on it he became mad, although he had occasional intervals of sanity, which he employed on his last work. The approach of madness must have been hastened by his intemperate habits. Gillray died on 1 June 1815, and was buried in St James's churchyard, [[Piccadilly]]. | + | In a [[drawing]] or [[painting]], the dots are made of [[pigment]] of a single colour, applied with a [[pen]] or [[brush]]; the denser the dots, the darker the apparent shade—or lighter, if the pigment is lighter than the surface. This is similar to—but distinct from—[[pointillism]], which uses dots of different colours to simulate blended colours. |
| - | == The art of caricature == | + | In [[printmaking]], dots may be carved out of a surface to which ink will be applied, to produce either a greater or lesser density of ink depending on the printing technique. In engraving, the technique was invented by [[Giulio Campagnola]] in about 1510. Stippling may also be used in [[engraving]] or [[sculpture|sculpting]] an object even when there is no ink or paint involved, either to change the texture of the object, or to produce the appearance of light or dark shading depending on the reflective properties of the surface: for instance, stipple engraving on glass produces areas that appear brighter than the surrounding glass. |
| - | A number of his most trenchant satires are directed against [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]], who, after examining some of Gillray's sketches, said "I don't understand these caricatures." Gillray revenged himself for this utterance by his splendid caricature entitled, ''A Connoisseur Examining a Cooper'', which he is doing by means of a candle on a "save-all"; so that the sketch satirizes at once the king's pretensions to knowledge of art and his miserly habits. | + | The technique became popular as a means of producing shaded [[line art]] illustrations for publication, because drawings created this way could be reproduced in simple black ink. The other common method is [[hatching]], which uses lines instead of dots. Stippling has traditionally been favoured over hatching in biological and [[medical illustration]], since it is less likely than hatching to interfere visually with the structures being illustrated (the lines used in hatching can be mistaken for actual contours), and also since it allows the artist to vary the density of shading more subtly to depict curved or irregular surfaces. |
| - | During the [[French Revolution]], Gillray took a conservative stance; and he issued caricature after caricature ridiculing the French and [[Napoleon]] (usually using [[Jacobin (politics)|Jacobin]]), and glorifying [[John Bull]]. A number of these were published in the ''[[Anti-Jacobin Review]]''. He is not, however, to be thought of as a keen political adherent of either the [[British Whig Party|Whig]] or the [[Tory]] party; he dealt his blows pretty freely all round. | + | Images produced by [[halftone|halftoning]] or [[dither]]ing and computer [[Computer printer|printers]] operate on similar principles (varying the size and/or spacing of dots on paper), but do so via photographic or digital processes rather than manually. These newer techniques have made it possible to convert continuous-tone images into patterns suitable for printing, but artists may still choose stippling for its simplicity and handmade appearance. ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' features stippled portraits known as [[hedcut]]s in its pages, as part of its long-standing avoidance of [[photograph]]s. |
| - | The times in which Gillray lived were peculiarly favourable to the growth of a great school of caricature. Party warfare was carried on with great vigour and not a little bitterness; and personalities were freely indulged in on both sides. Gillray's incomparable wit and humour, knowledge of life, fertility of resource, keen sense of the ludicrous, and beauty of execution, at once gave him the first place among caricaturists. He is honourably distinguished in the history of caricature by the fact that his sketches are real works of art. The ideas embodied in some of them are sublime and poetically magnificent in their intensity of meaning, while the forthrightness—which some have called coarseness—which others display is characteristic of the general freedom of treatment common in all intellectual departments in the 18th century. The historical value of Gillray's work has been recognized by many discerning students of history. As has been well remarked: "[[Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl Stanhope|Lord Stanhope]] has turned Gillray to account as a veracious reporter of speeches, as well as a suggestive illustrator of events." | + | ==Botany== |
| + | In description of flora species, the term ''stippling'' is invoked to describe certain patterns, especially in the case of flowering plants. There are patterns produced in nature that occur on flower petals and sepals which are similar to the dot patterns in artworks that produce an often intricate pattern. An example can be seen on the base of the petal insides of ''[[Calochortus luteus]]'', a [[poppy]] endemic to [[California]]. | ||
| - | His contemporary political influence is borne witness to in a letter from Lord Bateman, dated 3 November 1798. "The Opposition," he writes to Gillray, "are as low as we can wish them. You have been of infinite service in lowering them, and making them ridiculous." Gillray's extraordinary industry may be inferred from the fact that nearly 1000 caricatures have been attributed to him; while some consider him the author of as many as 1600 or 1700. According to the [[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition]], "Gillray is as invaluable to the student of English manners as to the political student, attacking the social follies of the time with scathing satire; and nothing escapes his notice, not even a trifling change of fashion in dress. The great tact Gillray displays in hitting on the ludicrous side of any subject is only equalled by the exquisite finish of his sketches—the finest of which reach an epic grandeur and [[John Milton|Milton]]ic sublimity of conception." | + | ==Other uses== |
| + | The term stipple can also apply to a random pattern of small depressions applied to a surface to increase the [[friction]] and make the surface easier to grip. This process is similar to [[knurl]]ing or checkering, but is often used on complex curved surfaces, such as [[anatomical]] grips, where a regular pattern would not fit. Stippling can be cast into [[plastic]] objects, or applied with a hammer and punch to [[wood]] or [[metal]] objects. | ||
| - | Gillray's caricatures are generally divided into two classes, the political series and the social, though it is important not to attribute to the term "series" any concept of continuity or completeness. The political caricatures comprise an important and invaluable component of the history extant of the latter part of the reign of George III. They were circulated not only in [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]] but also throughout Europe, and exerted a powerful influence both in Britain and abroad. In the political prints, [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]], George's wife [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Queen Charlotte]], the [[George IV of the United Kingdom|Prince of Wales]] (later [[Prince Regent]], then [[George IV of the United Kingdom|King George IV]]), [[Charles James Fox|Fox]], [[William Pitt the Younger|Pitt the Younger]], [[Edmund Burke|Burke]] and [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] are the most prominent figures. In 1788 appeared two fine caricatures by Gillray. ''Blood on Thunder fording the Red Sea'' represents [[Edward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow|Lord Thurlow]] carrying [[Warren Hastings]] through a sea of gore: Hastings looks very comfortable, and is carrying two large bags of money. ''Market-Day'' pictures the ministerialists of the time as cattle for sale. | + | A further use of stipple indicates the damage caused by [[spider mites]] which make tiny white spots on plant leaves which can coalesce until the entire leaf appears silvery. |
| - | Among Gillray's best satires on [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]] are: ''Farmer George and his Wife'', two companion plates, in one of which the king is toasting muffins for breakfast, and in the other the queen is frying sprats; ''The Anti-Saccharites'', where the royal pair propose to dispense with sugar, to the great horror of the family; ''A Connoisseur Examining a Cooper''; the paired plates ''A Voluptuary under the Horrors of Digestion'' and ''Temperance enjoying a Frugal Meal'', satirising the excesses of the [[Prince Regent]] (later [[George IV of the United Kingdom]]) and the miserliness of his father, [[George III of the United Kingdom]] respectively; ''Royal Affability''; ''A Lesson in Apple Dumplings''; and ''The Pigs Possessed''. | + | Stippling is also the term used to describe the circular pattern of dots created around a gunshot wound when a firearm is discharged in very close proximity to the skin. |
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| - | Other political caricatures include: ''Britannia between Scylla and Charybdis'', a picture in which Pitt, so often Gillray's butt, figures in a favourable light; ''The Bridal Night''; ''The Apotheosis of Hoche'', which concentrates the excesses of the French Revolution in one view; ''The Nursery with Britannia reposing in Peace''; ''The First Kiss these Ten Years'' (1803), another satire on the peace, which is said to have greatly amused Napoleon; ''The Hand-Writing upon the Wall''; ''The Confederated Coalition'', a swipe at the coalition which superseded the Addington ministry; ''Uncorking Old Sherry''; ''The Plumb-Pudding in Danger'' (probably the best known political print ever published); ''Making Decent''; ''Comforts of a Bed of Roses''; ''View of the Hustings in Covent Garden''; ''Phaethon Alarmed''; and ''Pandora opening her Box''. | + | |
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| - | As well as being blatant in his observations, Gillray could be incredibly subtle, and puncture vanity with a remarkably deft approach. The outstanding example of this is his print ''Fashionable Contrasts;—or—The Duchess's little Shoe yeilding ''[''sic'']''<!--Please do not correct this "misspelling"; it is in the original, which we quote here--> to the Magnitude of the Duke's Foot''. This was a devastating image aimed at the ridiculous sycophancy directed by the press towards Frederica Charlotte Ulrica, Duchess of York, and the supposed daintiness of her feet. The print showed only the feet and ankles of the Duke and Duchess of York, in an obviously copulatory position, with the Duke's feet enlarged and the Duchess's feet drawn very small. This print silenced forever the sycophancy of the press regarding the union of the Duke and Duchess. | + | |
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| - | The miscellaneous series of caricatures, although they have scarcely the historical importance of the political series, are more readily intelligible, and are even more amusing. Among the finest are: ''Shakespeare Sacrificed''; ''Flemish Characters'' (two plates); ''Two-Penny Whist'' (which features an image of Hannah Humphrey); ''Oh that this too solid flesh would melt''; ''Sandwich-Carrots''; ''The Gout''; ''Comfort to the Corns''; ''Begone Dull Care''; ''The Cow-Pock'', which gives humorous expression to the popular dread of [[vaccination]]; ''Dilletanti Theatricals''; and ''Harmony before Matrimony'' and ''Matrimonial Harmonics''—two exceedingly good sketches in violent contrast to each other. | + | |
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| - | == Famous editions == | + | |
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| - | A selection of Gillray's works appeared in parts in 1818; but the first good edition was Thomas McLean's, which was published with a key, in 1830. A somewhat bitter attack, not only on Gillray's character, but even on his genius, appeared in the Athenaeum for 1 October 1831, which was successfully refuted by [[John Landseer]] in the ''Athenaeum'' a fortnight later. | + | |
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| - | In 1851 [[Henry George Bohn]] put out an edition, from the original plates in a handsome elephant folio, the coarser sketches—commonly known as the "Suppressed Plates"—being published in a separate volume. For this edition Thomas Wright and RH Evans wrote a valuable commentary, which is a good history of the times embraced by the caricatures. Unfortunately, many copies of the Bohn Edition are broken up into individual sheets and passed off as originals to unsuspecting buyers (see [[#Collecting|Collecting]] below). Although the two volumes of the Bohn Edition are often represented as being a complete collection of Gillray's works, this is not the case: for example, ''Doublûres of Characters'' is not included in either volume. This is most likely because this print was not published by Hannah Humphrey, but by John Wright for the Anti-Jacobin Review and Magazine. | + | |
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| - | The next edition, entitled ''The Works of James Gillray, the Caricaturist: with the Story of his Life and Times'' (Chatto & Windus, 1874), was the work of Thomas Wright, and, by its popular exposition and narrative, introduced Gillray to a very large circle formerly ignorant of him. This edition, which is complete in one volume, contains two portraits of Gillray, and upwards of 400 illustrations. Mr JJ Cartwright, in a letter to the Academy (28 Feb. 1874), drew attention to the existence of a manuscript volume, in the [[British Museum]], containing letters to and from Gillray, and other illustrative documents. The extracts he gave were used in a valuable article in the ''Quarterly Review'' for April 1874. See also the ''Academy'' for 21 February and 16 May, 1874. | + | |
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| - | == Collecting == | + | |
| - | In recent years Gillray's work has become very collectible. Prices had been climbing steadily since the 1970s, but the auction of the Draper Hill Collection at Phillips auctioneers in London in 2001 pushed prices to new highs: several key prints, including ''Fashionable Contrasts'', fetching more than US$10,000. Since 2002, annual auctions of Caricatures at Bonhams in London, each of which included large selections of Gillray prints, have continued this trend. Escalating prices have also meant that good examples of major works by Gillray can be very hard to come by at any price. Unfortunately for the beginning collector this means that starting a collection now is far more difficult than thirty years ago, when a very good copy of ''Light expelling Darkness'' could be had for as little as US$250. A good impression of this print sold in 2006 for over US$9,000, while ''Fashionable Contrasts'' also sold in the same year for over US$20,000. | + | |
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| - | This dramatic increase in prices has also led to unscrupulous sellers attempting to pass off prints from the Bohn Edition as originals, and it can be difficult for those unfamiliar with these practices to tell the difference between a restrike (commonly called "a Bohn") and an original. The key indicators of a print coming from the Bohn Edition are (i) the presence of a number in the top, right-hand corner of the print (the number is most commonly in the image itself, but may be outside in the margin); (ii) the fact that the Bohn edition was issued without colouring; and (iii) the fact that the strikes for the main published volumes of the Bohn Edition were printed on both sides of the paper (the Bohn Edition of the so-called "Suppressed Plates" was, like the originals, printed on one side of the paper only). However, the fact that a print is single-sided does not mean that it is not a Bohn restrike: there are in existence many Bohns (for example, ''Light expelling Darkness'') that bear a number, but which are printed on one side of the paper only. These single-sided numbered strikes are almost always printed on much higher quality paper than was used for the bound volumes, and the quality of the printing is usually much superior too, with more care having been taken to ensure a crisp impression. These impressions are believed to have been struck by Henry Bohn with a view to colouring them, and then selling them as high-quality single prints, in much the same way as the prints published in Gillray's lifetime. There are many example of such single-sided restrikes, both coloured and uncoloured. Since prices for Bohns are usually between one-tenth and one-twentieth of those for originals, unscrupulous sellers will go to great lengths to disguise the fact that a print is a Bohn. Some common methods include: (i) tortuously worded descriptions, which attempt to avoid disclosure of the fact the print is a restrike (although some sellers will just plain lie); (ii) if the number is outside the image, trimming the print to the very edges of the image; (iii) if the number is inside the image, carefully abrading the surface to obliterate the number; (iv) cutting strips of the image to remove the number; (v) laying the print to paper or framing it such that it is difficult to determine whether there is printing on the reverse; and (vi) adding colour. | + | |
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| - | == Later life and death == | + | |
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| - | Gillray's eyesight began to fail in 1806. He began wearing spectacles but they were unsatisfactory. Unable to work to his previous high standards, James Gillray became depressed and started drinking heavily. He produced his last print in September 1809. As a result of his heavy drinking Gillray suffered from [[gout]] throughout his later life. People who have shared his affliction often comment that his etching interpreting this ailment is a very apt and imaginative illustration of the agony that gout sufferers endure. | + | |
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| - | In July 1811 Gillray attempted to kill himself by throwing himself out of an attic window above Humphrey's shop in St James's Street. Gillray lapsed into insanity and was looked after by Hannah Humphrey until his death on 1 June 1815. | + | |
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| - | James Gillray is buried in the courtyard of St James's Church, in [[Piccadilly]], [[London]]. | + | |
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| - | == Influence == | + | |
| - | Gillray is still revered as one of the most influential political caricaturists of all time, and among the leading cartoonists on the political stage in the [[United Kingdom]] today, both [[Steve Bell (cartoonist)|Steve Bell]] and [[Martin Rowson]] acknowledge him as probably the most influential of all their predecessors in that particular arena. | + | |
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| - | The look of the [[Vogon]] race in the ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (film)|Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' film were in part inspired by Gillray's work. | + | |
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| - | There is a good account of [[Gillray]] in [[Thomas Wright]]'s ''[[History of Caricature and Grotesque in Literature and Art]]'' ([[1865]]). | + | |
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Featured: |
Stippling is the creation of a pattern simulating varying degrees of solidity or shading by using small dots. Such a pattern may occur in nature and these effects are frequently emulated by artists.
[edit]
Art
In a drawing or painting, the dots are made of pigment of a single colour, applied with a pen or brush; the denser the dots, the darker the apparent shade—or lighter, if the pigment is lighter than the surface. This is similar to—but distinct from—pointillism, which uses dots of different colours to simulate blended colours.
In printmaking, dots may be carved out of a surface to which ink will be applied, to produce either a greater or lesser density of ink depending on the printing technique. In engraving, the technique was invented by Giulio Campagnola in about 1510. Stippling may also be used in engraving or sculpting an object even when there is no ink or paint involved, either to change the texture of the object, or to produce the appearance of light or dark shading depending on the reflective properties of the surface: for instance, stipple engraving on glass produces areas that appear brighter than the surrounding glass.
The technique became popular as a means of producing shaded line art illustrations for publication, because drawings created this way could be reproduced in simple black ink. The other common method is hatching, which uses lines instead of dots. Stippling has traditionally been favoured over hatching in biological and medical illustration, since it is less likely than hatching to interfere visually with the structures being illustrated (the lines used in hatching can be mistaken for actual contours), and also since it allows the artist to vary the density of shading more subtly to depict curved or irregular surfaces.
Images produced by halftoning or dithering and computer printers operate on similar principles (varying the size and/or spacing of dots on paper), but do so via photographic or digital processes rather than manually. These newer techniques have made it possible to convert continuous-tone images into patterns suitable for printing, but artists may still choose stippling for its simplicity and handmade appearance. The Wall Street Journal features stippled portraits known as hedcuts in its pages, as part of its long-standing avoidance of photographs.
[edit]
Botany
In description of flora species, the term stippling is invoked to describe certain patterns, especially in the case of flowering plants. There are patterns produced in nature that occur on flower petals and sepals which are similar to the dot patterns in artworks that produce an often intricate pattern. An example can be seen on the base of the petal insides of Calochortus luteus, a poppy endemic to California.
[edit]
Other uses
The term stipple can also apply to a random pattern of small depressions applied to a surface to increase the friction and make the surface easier to grip. This process is similar to knurling or checkering, but is often used on complex curved surfaces, such as anatomical grips, where a regular pattern would not fit. Stippling can be cast into plastic objects, or applied with a hammer and punch to wood or metal objects.
A further use of stipple indicates the damage caused by spider mites which make tiny white spots on plant leaves which can coalesce until the entire leaf appears silvery.
Stippling is also the term used to describe the circular pattern of dots created around a gunshot wound when a firearm is discharged in very close proximity to the skin.
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Stippling" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
