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Document Details : Title: Boekvormgeving tussen traditie en vernieuwing Subtitle: De samenwerking tussen Jozef Cantré en uitgeverij De Sikkel (1921-1950) Author(s): MEIRLAEN, Sam Journal: Tijdschrift voor Interieurgeschiedenis en Design Volume: 43 Date: 2021 Pages: 85-103 DOI: 10.2143/GBI.43.0.3289234 Abstract : Between 1921 and 1950 the Ghent sculptor and woodcutter Jozef Cantré collaborated with Eugène Block and his Antwerp publishing house De Sikkel. Together they aimed to lift the aesthetical book in Flanders to a higher level. Although De Bock managed to attract many artist-illustrators, the collaboration with Cantré was a permanent arrangement throughout his publishing practice and he entrusted the artist with luxury projects. For Cantré this would be the most extensive collaboration in Belgium. Cantré was responsible for the design of 22 books published by De Sikkel. However, his contributions to these titles varied. For example, he provided just a drawing for the cover or the title plate for some books, whereas in other books he was responsible for the entire design, from the illustrations to the typography. Nonetheless, it is evident from the correspondence between Cantré and De Bock that he envisaged the overall appearance of every book, even when he did not always have a direct influence. Moreover, there were others who could influence the designs, notably the printer. Because all elements play an important role in design, the books were first examined as material objects (i.e. the printing techniques and the relevant printing firms, the paper used, and the format, covers, and binding) prior to critical analysis of the graphical design of the interior (i.e. the overall layout and page layout, the typography and chosen fonts, the use of colour, and the relationship between text and image). Visual analysis of different copies of the same book in combination with the extensive correspondence between Cantré and De Bock clarified the nature of the collaboration, the extent of the artist’s input, and the formal choices made. The fact that the commercial publishing house aimed at both a bibliophile clientele and wider distribution shows a mixture of tradition and innovation, the familiar and the unknown, in various elements of the design of the book. Apart from aesthetic motives, there were also financial motives and an often rather conservative public that guided the design. For book design Jozef Cantré and Eugène De Boch were well aware of the long tradition of printing and at the same time of the modern trends that influenced them. |
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