Charles Keeping: An Illustrator's Life

by Douglas Martin, Charles Keeping (Illustrations)

Charles Keeping, born in 1924, was a Londoner through and through and his childhood in Lambeth provided him with an endlessly rich source to draw on throughout his working life. But his vision was universal, individual and often startling - the strength and honesty of everything and his influence was enormous. He was often controversial, but in this study of his life and work, his stature and contribution can be assessed in full, not just as a picture-book artist, but also as an illustrator of Dickens for the Folio Society.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeping for me is inextricably linked with Nicholas Stuart Gray and Rosemary Sutcliffe; his beautiful and odd illustrations for Over the Hills to Fabylon, The Apple Stone, Warrior's Scarlet and others, which I would sit and pore over as a child, are still readily recalled to my mind's eye. The odd contortions of the figures in Sutcliffe - perfectly anatomically drawn, but almost like modern dance - the crazed stipplings of line in Apple Stone, the way the bone and muscle seemed to shine through the outline of the body, the way an animal's hair made its shape while its motion made its body - it was the work of an illustrative genius.

I never read any of the picture books he authored and illustrated - I don't know what I'd have made of them. They have a bleakness that small children might take more in their stride - as an adult I find them a little hurting.

Not a biography per say - each chapter is a snapshot of a period of Keepings' life, larded with illustrations - interesting to see the ones from early on - and out-takes from his interviews and biographical recordings, or people who knew him.

[PJ Ebbrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw some of his work on FB and bowled over. I found this book by searching on and purchased a copy. As I read it, I found images that I had seen before, but not realised who they were by. I have a copy of the Leon Garfield book, The Gods by the Sea, illustrated by Charles Keeping. His style is very fluid with his lines and solids of black as he was working on paperback books. There was a bit of history with Keeping being put down by Ardizzone's comment for Keeping's drawing. This gives a great overall of his work and you can see how is style develops over the years.

[Derek Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rather dry text to match an outwardly uneventful life. But what an astounding artist!