My Town: An Artist’s Life in London
£19.00£23.80 (-20%)
David Gentleman has lived in London for almost seventy years, most of it on the same street. This book is a record of a lifetime spent observing, drawing and getting to know the city, bringing together work from across his whole career, from his earliest sketches to watercolours painted just a few months ago.
Here is London as it was, and as it is today: the Thames, Hampstead Heath; the streets, canals, markets and people of his home of Camden Town; and at the heart of it all, his studio and the tools of his work. Accompanied by reflections on the process of drawing and personal thoughts on the ever-changing city, this is a celebration of London, and the joy of noticing, looking and capturing the world.
‘David has spent a lifetime depicting with wit and affection a London he has made his own’ Alan Bennett
‘He delivers a poetry of exultant concentration … The surface fusion of the sensuous and the sharply modern is echoed by Gentleman’s imagery’ Guardian
‘The artist and illustrator has been responsible for some of the most-seen public artworks in this country’ The Times
‘Perhaps the last of the great polymath designer-painters’ Camden New Journal
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Additional information
| Publisher | Particular Books, 1st edition (5 Mar. 2020) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 288 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1846149754 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1846149757 |
| Dimensions | 17.53 x 2.54 x 23.88 cm |
by Mr. S. Moore
Make a cup of tea, lay on the sofa, slowly turn the pages of the lovely book and r e l a x
by DCD
This book is full of illustrations of David Gentlemans work from his student days to the present. I received the book today and have not finished reading yet, but his artwork of everyday London scenes is a wonderful achievement. Highly recommended whether you live in London or not.
by F1shcake
Nice size book with beautiful illustrations and descriptions of London scenes.
Purchased as a gift for my daughter who is very happy with it.
by Wessex Woman
I bought this beautiful book for a member of family who lives and works in London. He was thrilled with it! David Gentleman’s artistic impressions of London, where he has lived for decades. Pictures, drawings and sketches….green…historic…people…parks and so much more. It will encourage readers to go and visit and explore for them selves.
by ROBERT D.
His work is worth studying closely. I can recommend it to anyone whose drawing tends to be over-tight. It is also worth noticing how few lines Gentleman uses to create a sketch.
by Mr. S. Moore
I read an article on David Gentleman in the London Magazine and bought this book on the strength of that. It’s good value for money as it’s packed with etchings, wood engravings and sketches, variously coloured perfectly in crayon and water colours mainly. There are 280 pages and I’d guess therefore around 400 images.
Most of the subjects are based on buildings and landmarks of the Thames, Camden, the square mile, Hampstead and other London locations. Fine drawings which describe the subjects in a way that a photo can seldom achieve.
His simple ink drawings are honest and evocative, combining design detail with the feel of the subject (for the Fulham gasworks picture above he used tinted paper and a fountain pen).
Would have liked to have had more of his bio as, in the LM article, a rich family history is described.
Would also liked to have had an index of pictures although each individual image has a description alongside it.
Final whinge – he gives some great advice for student artists but I’d like to have heard more of the technical detail. I suspect he’s a great teacher!
I strongly recommend this lovely book.
by M.H. SILVERWOOD
Wonderful drawings, but a real shame this book is quite small in size. The other books I have of David Gentleman’s art are much bigger, ‘coffee table size’ and therefore much more pleasing to look at.
by Bookbabe
I bought this as a gift for someone who has retired from working in London. It captures the flavour of London, the reality, the buildings, the busyness and buzz. Not many portraits though of the variety of Londoners, nor of the markets and shops but nevertheless, I hope a good reminder of days working there. I chose it after reading ‘Lady in the Van’ by Alan Bennett. He is a neighbour of the artist/author who was party to the antics of the ‘Lady’ and sketched her.