Rockwell Kent
American, 1882 - 1971
Kent designed the bookplate shown above, taken from the Charlotte Whitney Allen Library's copy of Venus & Adonis, which was donated to the Library by the family of Leo Hart.
Rockwell Kent's illustrations for Shakespeare's
Venus & Adonis
Rockwell Kent (1882-1971)
As artist, illustrator, adventurer, and explorer, Rockwell Kent was a prolific, active, and often controversial individual. In 1903, he took his mother's advice to prepare for a conventional profession by accepting a scholarship at Columbia University's School of Architecture. However, after three years of study, Kent chose to pursue his lifelong love of painting with a scholarship at the New York School of Art. Under the tutelage of painters Robert Henri, William Merritt Chase, Kenneth Hayes Miller, and Abbott Thayer, Kent's spare and distinctive style developed, which he applied to magazine covers, paintings, and prints.
While commercial illustrations provided Kent with a steady income in the 1920s, by the 1930s, he had perfected his technique in book design and typography. At the height of his popularity, Kent illustrated classic literature such as Candide, Faust, Moby Dick, Canterbury Tales, and Venus & Adonis.
His illustrations for Venus & Adonis incorporate the flowing Art Deco line and the bold, simplified forms that were his hallmarks in prints as well as paintings. While the quality of his artistic output was consistent throughout his life, his engagement in radical politics often overshadowed his art. With the passage of time, Rockwell Kent has re-emerged as a leading figure in American art.
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