The Friar and the Boy ("The Friar, bound fast to the post, squirmed and wriggled, showing plainly that he would foot it if he could") by Dulac, Edmund - 1916

1916. Watercolor, pencil and ink on paper, signed "Edmund Dulac 16" (lower left) and titled in his hand beneath. 12-5/8 x 11 in. Matted and framed. Watercolor, pencil and ink on paper, signed "Edmund Dulac 16" (lower left) and titled in his hand beneath. 12-5/8 x 11 in. Superb and striking original illustration for "The Friar and the Boy" from Edmund Dulac's Fairy-Book: Fairy Tales of the Allied Nations, his 1916 collection of fairy stories from the different Allied lands, published by Hodder & Stoughton as their widely publicized Christmas gift book. "This book received even more attention in New York than in England. The 15 illustrations formed the centerpiece of Dulac's first American exhibition, when 70 of his works were shown during December 1916 at Scott and Fowles Gallery ... On December 3, The New York Times Magazine published a reproduction of 'The Friar and the Boy' and announced the opening of the exhibit with a detailed critique ... During this period of his work, Dulac had immersed himself in the artistic traditions of folklore. He was partly stimulated by his friendship with Yeats (whose interest in Celtic folklore was legendary)" (Hughey). Several of the drawings show the influences of Dulac's tour of the eastern Mediterranean and his interest in Asian art. "By contrast, in the English fairy tale, The Friar and the Boy, a traditional technique is used, the eye being drawn inwards by the perspective of the flagstones, receding pillars, and roof beams. By careful use of clean bright colour, Dulac prevented his dancing figures from looking like cut-outs, and although the picture at first seems to be a return to an earlier style, a comparison with 'Madame s'est piqué le doigt' shows how much Dulac's work had altered in ten years" (White, p. 77). Exhibited: Scott & Fowles, 1916 catalogue, no. 43 ("Lent by James G. Heaslet") Literature: Edmund Dulac's Fairy-Book (Hodder & Stoughton, 1916), p. 128; White, Edmund Dulac, p. 79; Hughey, Edmund Dulac: His Book Illustrations, no. 47