Eric Gill: Man of Flesh and Spirit

Rating:
Summary: An exhaustive survey of an exhausting artist
Review: Although one doesn't necessarily get to know Eric Gill the individual any better through this book, Malcolm Yorke does an admirable job presenting the man through his works. I was anticipating more of a biography than a survey-cum-biography, but the format works well to distill the broad (and usually overlapping) scope of Gill's artwork and personality into something approaching manageablity. While I concur that it makes the most sense to start, as Yorke does, with Gill's writing, I found this section to be the most tedious. However one musn't fault Yorke for this, as indeed this can be generally attributed to Gill's own rather byzantine writing style. The following chapters (including many fine examples of Gill's broad talents) make the slow start well worthwhile.

In sum, if one has any interest in learning more about one of the 20th century's most fascinating artists, Malcom Yorke's "Eric Gill: Man of Flesh and Spirit" is about as comprehensive an account as one can get. Highly recommended.