William Giles
British illustrator, printmaker, publisher, editor, and author, 1872–1939
In 1907 he met and married painter Ada Shrimpton, and together they experimented with applying the relief method to metal plates, using their extensive travels throughout Europe as inspiration. Giles was elected president of the Society of Graver-Printers in Colour in 1909, succeeding the late Theodore Roussel. However, Giles's new found love of the metal relief print did not deter him from his study of the woodcut, or from experimenting with new techniques. In some of his most well-known works the artist combined the two methods, woodcut and metal relief. Unlike most color woodcut artists of the time, Giles did not use a key block in his works. Eliminating this once essential element gave way to a softer blending of color and form, and his woodcuts are often mistaken for paintings.
Giles, who died in 1939, is widely considered one of the most important and innovative British color printmakers of the early 20th century.
Person TypeIndividual
Terms
- artists
- male
British painter and printmaker, 1858–1925
English painter and printmaker, 1799–1883
British printmaker, 1896–1963
American sculptor and printmaker, 1922–2000
German printmaker and sculptor, 1867–1945
French sculptor, painter, and tapestry designer, 1861–1944
French painter, printmaker, and typographical designer, 1863–1944, active in England
