Arthur Rackham

I was about to say that Arthur Rackham (19 September 1867 – 6 September 1939) is my favorite artist but it would be more accurate to say he is my favorite illustrator, and has been for a very long time. I don't know how to speak about art as well as I would like, but I love how delicate his work is--the tiny strokes, the muted colors. I love how his backgrounds are often equally as important as the figures. And of course I love the subject matter. He doesn't make fairy tale characters and creatures cute, he gives them drama and legitimacy. And yet they can still be funny! When I used to pour over volumes of myths and legends there was nothing more irritating than illustrations that didn't match the mood of the stories. These stories are epic! They deserve for an artist to take them seriously.

The image is of his painting, "Undancey." And while it's not my favorite it was the first Rackham I ever saw and the one that made me search for more.