Pictured above is one of the remarkably elegant watercolors of the Edwardian artist Charles Robinson (1870 - 1937), used in this instance in a page illustration of a volume of The Sonnets of William Shakespeare (Gramercy Books, New York, 1991). The distinct influences of the Art Nouveau movement, tinged with the delicacy of Japanese prints (a look that had appealed enormously to Vincent Van Gogh, among other artists) can clearly be seen here. The Pre-Raphaelites' outlook, short-lived but glorious, also had attractions for Robinson.
It would take the cataclysmic events of World War I to all but obliterate the sensibilities that held these styles in the highest regard.
Robinson's work often tended toward the whimsical, making it ideal for the numerous children's books that he illustrated. In the case of Shakespeare's sonnets, Robinson's abilities were well suited to accompany some of the most elevated poetry in the English language.
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