Pieter Willem Bijvoet

Pieter Willem Bijvoet

(1903-1941)

obscured and forgotten Dutch graphic artist.  

To be honest: until last week my computer archive contained just one picture of a woodblock print found in the www. by this artist but otherwise I had never heard of him. Until in a local auction this woodblock print of a pair of budgies (Budgerigar, Melopsittacus Undulatus) showed up recently and made me to  investigate the artist. 

Pieter Willem Bijvoet studied in the Royal Academy in Amsterdam but other then some genealogical data and some lithographic drawings and the three woodcut prints shown here, he's left hardly any footsteps in printmakers  history. He was born in Overveen (near Haarlem) and died in Amsterdam.

My first association with his budgie print design was this famous woodcut print (above) from Vienna by Karl Schmidt Rotluff (1884-1976). Because the colors are block printed too, and not colored by hand, it's a charming print although not an Hélène Isenbart (very obscured German printmaker),

an Otto Lange (Germ. 1879-1944) or let alone a Kay Nixon (Br. 1895-1988) Europeans artists who also were inspired by a budgie couple.

Bijvoet's print of the smallest of Herons (Bittern, Ixobrychus Minutes) instead of the easy and more popular choice of a Silver Heron by most of his colleagues and contemporaries is remarkable. Like the choice of ordinary Tradescantia in the Gingerjar instead of far more popular and usual Nasturtiums. The fact he died young and probably had a not very prolific but delicate output of works will have contributed to his being forgotten and hardly known in our times.

   

I'm convinced  there must be more examples of his work and all additions send by readers will be very welcomed.

All pictures are mouse clickable to embiggen.

All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for educational and non-commercial use only. 

Kay Nixon

Kay Nixon
(Kathleen Irene Blundell-Nixon)

(1895-1988)

British children's author, painter, muralist, illustrator and poster artist.

If ever there was a British artist who should have been a printmaker it surely was Kay Nixon. To my humble opinion. She produced so many wonderful pictures in a woodblock orientalist Japanese style. In watercolor and pencil. But, sadly, she wasn't a printmaker.

These great watercolour budgies is how I stumbled over Kay Nixon’s art. Looking for parrots (great and small) on prints on the www. 

Just have a look and enjoy some of the following illustrations from this great and forgotten (1962) book:

and you’ll understand my earlier suggestion why she should have been and would have been an excellent printmaker. (All pictures are mouse clickable) 

Kay Nixon was trained at Camden and Birmingham Schools of Art and after her  marriage (becoming Mrs. Blundell) lived in India for 25 years. In India  she made illustrations for the Time of India Press and designed some 30 posters for the Indian State Railways. I found only these two.

She painted horse portraits and did murals for the Bombay Natural History Museum. She even decorated the interior of a maharaja’s private plane.

Returning to England her career was to be mostly in illustrating some of the most lovely animal books: "Bird families", "Animal mothers and babies", "Animal Legends" Books on "Pushti" and "Pindy Poo". And she worked with famous Enid Blyton.

Kay Nixon made extensive travels through the USA, India, China and Australia. She was awarded many times. 
There are a great many books she illustrated still and easily available. Great Art at bargain prices.