The German Illustrated book:
Time frame covered: 1400-1500
Background:
The printing press has been invented by Guttenberg, book prices are now falling and
literacy is rising. Low book prices allow knowledge to be read and individuals can make
their own opinion instead of it being dictated by church or leaders. German style
traditionally focuses on woodcuts and text usually in black and white, with some painted
on color added in later. German artists and printers transferred the craft to England,
France and Spain.
Key Points:
Bookplates:
Basically a calling card for the illustrator of the book, usually a small design or the
creator’s logo.
Manuscript books:
The scribes who used to make books from scratch now have jobs creating layouts and
prototypes for new books. Illuminators also found jobs stylizing the books and creating
woodblocks for illustration.
Woodblock Printing:
Woodcutters and artists would carve out giant wooden stamps to form the images that
would be used to illustrate the books. Wood blocks were also used for small touches
such
as complex capital letters, which in the old days were drawn in after the text was
printed.
Nuremburg:
The city of Nuremburg became a center for printing, printing presses were very
expensive to set up and most were centered in Nuremburg.
Broadsheet:
A single sheet of paper that is printed to usually convey new information, think of it as
an
early form of news papers. Also broadsheets were printed with portraits of religious
leaders etc on them.
Artists:
Albrecht Düer:
This guy is famous for his engravings and woodcuts, he was a premier artist at the time.
His famous works include: The Rhinoceros, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and
The Life of the Virgin. Tharme loves this guy and the Rhino so try to remember him.
Düer was also trained professionally in Italy during the renaissance, so he has a good
grasp on theory.
Anton Koberger:
This guy is important because he worked for the Nuremburg Chronicle, designing lay
outs and illustrations. Koberger is also important because he was also a mentor to Düer
who made many of the woodcuts and type setting for the Chronicle.
William Caxton:
Caxton is responsible for spreading the German style of printing and typography to
Britain. He translated the first printed book into English, Recuyell of the Histories of
Troy, also he was the first to print a book in England, The Game Playe of Cheese.
German Style:
German style of this time focused on Gothic text, complex woodcut illustrations, which
primarly were in black and white. Color sometimes was added as highlights after the
printing of the book. The German style also had very complex