Landscape drawing (untitled), Franklin Booth
Link is to Outside Logic, from this page of Franklin Booth drawings. I don’t know of a reference to the title or use of this drawing as an illustration.
Golden Age American illustrator Franklin Booth developed his brilliant and unique style of pen and ink illustration from the mistaken assumption that the illustrations in his favorite books and magazines were drawn in pen and ink rather than being wood engravings.
He is renowned for his dramatic fantasy themed illustrations, but his less well known drawings of quiet domestic interiors and simple landscapes are also wonderful examples of his style.
I love the foreground tree in this drawing, simple and unassuming, but brilliantly composed. Its lacy form, delicate branches and distinct areas of black and white are melded together into a harmonious, naturalistic tree shape, and yet are so delightfully stylized as to be a treat for the eye on several levels.
It’s particularly interesting how Booth has swirled the lines of the cloud forms around and through those of the leaves and branches.
