Felix Hoffmann I

 

'The Seven Ravens' published 1963 illustrated by Felix Hoffmann, (1912-1975) Felix was a Swiss graphic designer who illustrated many classic fairytales and works of children's fiction. 

With the image above and below I wonder if Australian author Peter Carey had this book as a child.

Yoshiharu Suzuki IIIIV

 

'The Lonely Lion' by Yoshiharu Suzuki published in 1967, with his stunning stuttering line, wonderful palette of muted colour and fabulous composition, these illustrations fill me with joy.

Gek Tessaro IV

 

In these collaged illustrations by Gek Tessaro you can see the influence of Abner Graboff and the combination of inspiration from this master and Gek's own mastery is simply wonderful. These images are from a book of verse by Nicola Cinquetti of Nursery Rhymes published by barefoot books in 2016.

Marianne Richter II

Written by Gina Ruck-Pauquet and illustrated by Marianne Richter 'Little Hedgehog' was published1959. I was drawn by this books rich blue cover. The book has a mix of monochrome and highly coloured illustrations, and Marianne uses collage, litho and woodcut. 

Marianne Richter (1916-2010) was a Swedish multi-disciplinary artist best remembered for her textile designs, though as you can see her children's illustrations were also wonderful. 

Krystyna Witkowska II

 

It has been a very long time since I introduced Krystyna Witkowska's (1926-2000) work to this blog and so definately overdue that I share some more of her magical book illustrations, in "Przygody Jeza Spod Miasta Zgierza" pub. 1964, written by Wanda Chotomska, Krystyna's illustrations have collage, dribbles and splats of paint and fabulous texture and colour. 

In this story a lonely hedgehog living in the forests , travels to the nearby town of Zgierz in search of relatives and friends. Initially, he stumbles upon a brush shop and is mistakenly bought by two men who mistake him for a clothes brush. Terrified, the hedgehog flees and finds himself alone in the cold and rain, unsure of what to do. He is then discovered by his family, with whom he develops a close bond and marries.

Yoshiharu Suzuki VIII

 

This version of Aesops Fables is pure joy, the colours, visual space and techniques are beautiful. It is from   "World Stories: Aesop" written by Toshiko Iijima, and illustrated by Yoshiharu Suzuki published in 1969 

Ryohei Yanagihara II

 'The Three Police Officers' by William Penn DuBois, illustrated by Ryohei Yanagihara (1931-2015), published in 1965. Funny, moustached police dress as fish to thwart a heist.