Where to See Eric Gill

Examples of Eric Gill's work can be viewed at several locations. All Saints Church, Brockhampton, near Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, features Arts and Crafts furnishings. Belgrave Hall Museum, Leicester, has an Arts and Crafts dining room. Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum holds an accessible collection related to the Arts and Crafts Movement in England. Court Barn Museum, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, has craft and design from the Arts and Crafts Movement onward. The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, displays Arts and Crafts work in its British galleries. Other locations include the William Morris Gallery, London; Manchester Art Gallery; and the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh. Kelmscott Manor, near Lechlade, Gloucestershire, was the country home of William Morris. There are cottages by Philip Webb and Ernest Gimson in the village; Gimson also designed the Village Hall.

Eric Gill was known for his skill with the black line in engraving, adapting his prints to their type surroundings. Gill's prints, like other woodcuts, are made by producing identical impressions from a block or blocks. The artist decides how many prints to make for a limited edition. The physical characteristics of the wood itself do not limit the number of prints, as some blocks can produce hundreds of thousands of impressions. Each print in an edition is marked, usually in pencil, along the bottom margin. The print number and edition number appear on the bottom left; the title in the centre; and the signature on the right. Other notations can include 'A/P' for artist's proof, 'T/P' for early proofs, 'V2' for a variant edition using different colours, or 'Hors de Commerce' for a print not for sale. The proofing stage is a critical part of printmaking, allowing the artist to test the feel of the print and make important artistic decisions.

Eric Gill (1882^[1]-1940^[1]) was a stone mason, typographer and sculptor. He trained at the Central School in London, and his early work was admired by Roger Fry, who praised Gill's lettering and the emotional intensity of his sculpture. Gill's importance stems from his synthesis of Arts and Crafts ideals with early Modernism. Like William Morris, Gill believed in the dignity of labour, and he saw art as integral to a spiritually revitalised community. He defined the art of the craftsman as simply 'the well-doing of what needs doing'. Gill's aesthetic, however, diverged from Post-Impressionism. His work gained attention when sculpture was being used by critics and artists in other disciplines. This critical attention helped formulate a language with which sculpture could be identified and discussed. Gill's work, including his typeface Gill Sans, has had a major effect on the printing industry. Gill Sans was adopted by the British government in 2003 for use in all communications and logos.

Eric Gill was a letter cutter, engraver, and sculptor. He is particularly known for his skill with the black line in engraving, and his ability to adapt his engravings to their type surroundings. Gill designed initial letters and ornaments, and his familiarity with hand printing allowed his work to integrate with type. When creating lettering for woodblock prints, Gill would lay out the lettering on tracing paper, then flip it to reverse the layout before cutting. He would leave the drafted but uncut work for many days, refining the design. The reversed image could then be transferred to the block. The physical work of cutting letters involved using a sharp knife to outline the letters, with small curved gouges used for inner edges.

Eric Gill was a letter-cutter, stone mason, and typographer who worked in the early twentieth century. Gill's work was admired by members of the Bloomsbury Group, including Roger Fry, who connected Gill's emphasis on the surface of the stone with Bloomsbury's interest in form. Fry praised Gill's lettering in 1906^[1], and in 1911, he commended Gill's 'impassioned expression'. Gill's attitudes were close to those of William Morris and W. R. Lethaby. Like Lethaby, Gill believed the artist's self-expression was of secondary importance to the execution of the work. Gill's aesthetic showed no traces of Post-Impressionism. Gill's religious belief that art should be a vehicle for religious expression grew, as did his dislike of Modernism. His work influenced sculptors such as Henry Moore.

Eric Gill's artistic development involved several influences. Early on, he was impacted by the Arts and Crafts movement, embracing its principles of craftsmanship and the dignity of labour. He studied masonry and lettering, and he read works by Ruskin and Morris. Gill's association with the Arts and Crafts ethos remained, even after his conversion to Roman Catholicism after 1913^[1]. Critics like Roger Fry, associated with painting, also influenced Gill's early reception as a modern sculptor. Fry praised Gill's lettering and the emotional intensity of his sculptures, connecting his work to Bloomsbury's emphasis on form. Gill, however, grew critical of Modernism as his religious convictions deepened. Gill himself cited W. R. Lethaby's definition of the craftsman's art as "simply 'the well-doing of what needs doing.'" He shared the Arts and Crafts view that art should express joy in labour and unite man with God. His emphasis on "truth to materials" and the revelatory experience of carving from stone further shaped his artistic approach.

Eric Gill was a letter-cutter, sculptor, and printmaker associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. Although he worked in various media, he is perhaps best known for his stone carving. After studying masonry and lettering around 1900^[1], Gill carved his first nude figure in stone in 1910. His aesthetic was rooted in the Arts and Crafts tradition, defining the art of the craftsman as "simply the well-doing of what needs doing". Gill believed the best sculpture resulted from cooperation between artist and material. He described discovering form within stone as a revelatory experience. From 1914 onward, Gill produced many religious works. These included the Stations of the Cross for Westminster Cathedral. As his religious beliefs strengthened, he distanced himself from modernism, which he felt lacked a moral dimension. Gill criticised modernists for holding "a mirror up to the nature of the artist" rather than to nature itself.

Eric Gill's career saw him associated with both the Arts and Crafts movement and early Modernism, though he ultimately distanced himself from the latter. Early in his career, Gill was closely aligned with Arts and Crafts principles. After moving to London in 1900^[1], he studied masonry and lettering while also reading Ruskin and Morris. By 1904, he was a socialist and professional letter-cutter. His aesthetic, like that of W. R. Lethaby, prioritised the "well-doing of what needs doing" over self-expression. Gill believed the decline of craft was linked to a decline in religious belief, advocating for a spiritual revival and a socialism founded on the dignity of labour. Around 1912, Gill's work was considered part of the Modernist sphere; he exhibited in the Second Post-Impressionist Show. However, as his religious convictions deepened after 1913, he grew critical of Modernism, disliking its perceived lack of moral or didactic purpose. He felt modern artists were too focused on subjective feeling rather than objective representation. This divergence led to a separation between Gill and the Modernist avant-garde. In 1921 Gill established the Guild of St Joseph & St Dominic, a Catholic community of sculptors, stone carvers, and letter cutters.