Clare Leighton's Rural Life

Clare Leighton, David Leighton

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Hardback

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English

Bodleian Library
01 October 2023

Art & Architecture; Animals & nature in art (still life, landscapes & seascapes); Social & cultural history; Social & cultural anthropology

A stunningly packaged anthology of writings and artwork by noted wood engraver Clare Leighton.

Clare Leighton was one of the most prolific and highly regarded wood engravers of her time, leaving behind a body of work that reflected her rural life in Britain and North America.

During the 1930s, as the world around her became increasingly technological, industrial, and urban, Leighton portrayed rural men and women and the ancient methods they used to work the land that would soon vanish forever. Her two best-loved publications, The Farmer’s Year and Four Hedges, reflect this passion for the British countryside. Less well known are her books illustrating and describing rural life in the United States of America, where she emigrated and became a naturalised citizen in 1945, including Southern Harvest and Where Land Meets Sea: The Tide Line of Cape Cod.

Leighton also spent time in Canada with the logging community, winning the respect of Canadian lumberjacks by adopting their way of life. Her wood engravings depicting lumberjacks in the snow-covered forests of Canada are some of her most evocative prints.

This lavish anthology includes beautifully reproduced extracts and a detailed introduction to the artist’s life and work, reflecting Leighton’s lifelong fascination with the virtues of the countryside and the people who worked the land.

By: Clare Leighton
Edited by: David Leighton
Imprint: Bodleian Library
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 242mm, Width: 190mm,
ISBN: 9781851246120
ISBN 10: 1851246126
Pages: 192
Publication Date: 01 October 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Illustrations ix Introduction 1 1 The Farmer’s Year 15 2 Four Hedges 41 3 Canadian Lumber Camp 93 4 The Philosophy of Gardening 105 5 France & the Balkans 121 6 Traditional Skills 129 7 Country Matters 139 8 Southern Harvest 149 9 Where Land Meets Sea 155 Further Reading 173 Image Sources 177 Index 179

Clare Leighton (1898–1989) was a renowned artist, writer, and wood engraver. David Leighton was the editor of Clare Leighton: The Growth and Shaping of an Artist- writer. He was Clare Leighton’s nephew.

Reviews for Clare Leighton's Rural Life

"A stunning tribute to a British-American artist who should be better known. * The Bay Magazine * 'Here are her messages for our times, fresh as a boxwood shaving: ""if I am defiant in my defence of the countryside, it is because I know it is the last hope for sanity…the strong, sane humour of the earth, without which there is no health. At no time has this been more needed, and at no time have we been at greater risk of losing it.""' * Caught by the River * This beautiful book...will not only introduce a unique artist to a new audience, but serves to remind us of a bucolic world now lost. * The Lady *"