A Fine Line: A History of Australian Commercial Art

(Preface) 'Commercial art has long been treated as a poor, and rather tainted, relation of the fine arts. While the current use of the term graphic arts has brought added prestige to the field, most people are unaware of the rich and talented heritage of Australian commercial artists. These heroes and their work have remained unsung, with the exception, at the end of the last century, of the glorious period of the black and white artists — Low, 'Hop', Phil May, Norman Lindsay. Yet the lines of distinction between commercial and fine art are blurred - many successful commercial artists have gone on to become well-known fine artists - Lloyd Rees, John Passmore, Roland Wakelin and Guy Warren for example.

In this fascinating study of commercial art, Geoffrey Caban has traced its history from its earliest days, when S. T. Gill was not only the 'artist of the goldfields' but its advertiser as well. It follows the growth of printing techniques and advertising, the birth of magazines like The Bulletin, Smith's Weekly, Art in Australia which provided an outlet for so much talent, and traces overseas influences in the 1920s and 1930s, the period of spectacular poster art and design, right through to today's animation techniques and the use of computers and motion graphics in television advertisements. Australian expertise in this field is part of the continuing tradition fed on talent and inspiration - that fine line.'

Condition: Very Good. Shelf ware consistent with age. Light rubbing to cover/edges.

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