Women in Type

“Type 6″, Katie Turner, 2013 Found objects, ephemera, copper tape, watercolor & ink, rice paper, encaustic wax. 10″x8”.

When I was working in the Advertising Department of a newspaper in upstate New York, I spent quite a bit of time studying fonts and various type faces.  It was essential to my job and I enjoyed it.  So, I was excited when I came across a new website and blog research project by the University of Reading Department of Typography & Graphic Communications Dept. (from the UK).  The three year project received its support from the Leverhulme Trust and was led by Prof. Fiona Ross, Principle Researcher Dr. Alice Savoie and post-doctoral assistant Dr. Helena Lekka.

The website is beautifully done with many photos, educational information and resources. www.women-in-type.com

It’s interesting to see the role women had in the past in printing and graphic arts.

If you enjoy this website, you might also enjoy www.museumofprinting.org .

One of my earliest jobs was at, the now defunct, Metroland Magazine in Albany – yes, the same one that Jimmy Fallon worked at – and no, I never met him since I had left for NYC by the time he joined the team.  I learned how to work on a Compugraphic CompuWriter 4, which looked something like this…

The machine had several large standing parts to it.  I would install two long pieces of film around a spinning drum inside the body.  Basically, the machine shot pictures of the type through the rotating film onto photo paper.  The paper would be processed and then the graphics team would cut the sheet of type apart for placement on the pages.  The hardest part was memorizing the codes that needed to be entered before and after the type.  For instance, if I wanted to make a paragraph justified left, I would need to type the code “QL” for quad –left before and after the paragraph.  The same thing was done for any font changes, such as size, italics, bold, uppercase, etc.  The second difficulty was only being able to see a single line of type at a time.  This was a cutting edge machine at the time!  I found it impressive to see the newspaper come together with a whole team of graphic artists.

How thought-provoking to look back and explore all the changes that have happened – even in just our lifetimes.  There is no doubt technology has improved the world of print and typography.

Do you have experience working with older typesetting machines?  Have you seen a big improvement in your own artistic work because of changing technology?  Please share.

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Barbizon Inspiration

“Fences”, watercolor, Katie Turner, 2021

I’m not speaking of Barbizon, the infamous modeling agency that has been sued for talent scams but the Barbizon school of painters.  It’s not an actual school but, a group of like-minded artists who share a similar style, similar teachers, or have a similar focus, or purpose to their art.

I really had no idea how the Barbizon school of painters and their art influenced American landscape painting until my MET studies class discussion.  Thanks to a most knowledgeable teacher, Alice Schwarz, a Museum and Art Educator, my interest was piqued. 

The Barbizon school of painters were primarily realistic painters from approximately 1830-1870 painting in Barbizon, France.  They would spend their time at the Forest of Fontainebleau painting “en plein air” which is simply painting outdoors.  The work had tonal qualities with loose brushwork, soft colors and soft form with a type of poetic quality to the scenes.  These painters moved from painting landscape as a background to painting landscape as the highlighted subject.

The MET has many paintings that were created by these Barbizon style painters. 

One of my favorites is “The Gleaners”, Oil, Jean-Francois Millet, 1857 – you can view it by the link below.

(from en.wikipedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18280100)

The Gleaners portrays three peasant women working at the harvest.  These women are poor but have been allowed to gather the remains after the field has been harvested.  The wealthy owners and the laborers are far off in the back of the painting and Millet has our focus on these women, who are the bottom of the social ladder.  I think of the bible love story of Ruth and Boaz when I see this painting.

The Barbizon school of painters did a lot to make people more aware of the beautiful natural resources we have.  Some of them were able to convince governments and officials to make preserves and limit the industrial growth in some areas in the Forest of Fontainebleau and elsewhere. 

Some of the younger painters, who traveled to Barbizon and painted with the group, later became impressionists. 

William Morris Hunt was one of the Americans who choose to work in the Barbizon style. 

“Sand Bank with Willows, Magnolia”, oil on canvas, William Morris Hunt, American, 1877, 24×42

He trained with Jean-Francois Millet, leaving France to set up a studio in Boston, painting rural landscapes with peasants or farm animals.  He was the leading landscape and portrait painter in Boston.  Unfortunately many of Hunt’s works were destroyed in the Great Boston Fire of 1872.  He struggled with depression and sadly ended his own life before Barbizon style hit the height of American popularity in the late 1880-1890s. 

The Barbizon School of painters were also responsible for the changing way art was being sold in the 19^th century.  They helped to pave the way for the open art market system (which includes producers, consumers and distributors) that we use today.

I certainly find it exciting that painting styles continue to evolve over the years.  Influence comes from all over and continues to bring inspiration, revelation and vision to artists. 

Is there a particular style of painting that has inspired you?

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