Industrial Landscape by Philip Reisman. Galleries: Untitled by Philip Reisman from Arlene Berman Fine Arts. Philip Reisman « Ephemeral New York. Philip Reisman - Past Auction Results. Your Paintings - Gwendolen Raverat. The art of Stella Langdale, 1880–1976. Nocturne (aquatint; no date). One of Callum‘s recent book postings alerted me to the work of Stella Langdale, an artist and illustrator I hadn’t come across before. Judging from online listings her obscurity would seem to be a result of not having being as productive as some of her contemporaries, and her drawings are a deal more gloomier than the delicate pen-and-ink style that was common in book illustration at the time. But it’s her brooding charcoal masses which I find appealing. As with the better Gustave Doré illustrations, they adumbrate more than they depict by the use of careful composition. Some of her other works are aquatints, a form of etching which allows for similar effects to the graded atmospheres of charcoal.
Three of Langdale’s illustrated books have religious themes, The Dream of Gerontius (1916) by Cardinal Newman, Christ in Hades (1917) by Stephen Phillips and The Hound of Heaven (1922) by Francis Thompson. The Dream of Gerontius: “I went to sleep”. Christ in Hades: "Take me away . . . " by Stella Langdale; illustration for The Dream of Gerontius by J. H. Newman. John & Katharine Maltwood Collection: History of the Collection - Stella Langdale. Click here for printable version of original article Born in Staines, Middlesex, Stella Langdale attended the school of art at Brighton for several years, followed by a period of study under Frank Newbury and Maurice Grieffenhagen at the Glasgow School of Art. This sound technical training allowed her to experiment in oils, watercolour, charcoal, pastels, etching techniques and sculpture. In inspiration she followed the sublime landscapes of the British Romantic tradition and the visionary works of William Blake, John Martin and Samuel Palmer.
For subject matter Stella Langdale preferred to travel abroad wandering from place to place sketching and absorbing the history, poetic beauty and mystery of remote areas in North Africa, Italy and France. In this wanderlust and love of adventure she found a freedom and a different interpretation of life which is reflected in all her imaginative work. Stella Langdale liked to use charcoal for drawing; seeing things in simple tone and mass.