The books illustrated by Charles Keeping are much sought after by collectors. He wrote and illustrated his own books and also illustrated for a wide range of publishers.
The Highwayman is one of Charles’ later books, part of a series of black and white illustrations to famous poems. They are some of his best drawings and the book has been very popular in schools. The drawings capture the mood and romance of the poem. The confidence of the Shape and Line on the page show Charles’ ability as a designer on the page.
Beowulf is another book in the series of famous English “Poems”. The illustrations are again exciting in their use of Line Shape and Texture. They are one of the most inventive set of drawings and get behind the spirit of the story. He was at his most comfortable with black and white work and at his most creative with the pen. which was his favourite tool to work with.
Adam and Paradise Island was one of Charles’ last picture books. He no longer needed to go back to his own childhood, but there always remained a nostalgia for old Victorian, unhygenic, foggy London, and the building of impersonal stores and housing where everything was clean and clinical worried him. This book is his reaction to the situation. Ther are some amazing shapes in the complicated drawings of children following the horses, especially the negative shapes.
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