WILLIAM GILES (1872-1939)

'SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI'
 
Signed in pencil l.r., signed with monogram in plate l.r.
Colour woodcut & relief from zinc plates
33.3 x 44.5 cm 
 
 
 
 
William Giles was one of the most important innovators in original colour printmaking in Britain during the first half of the twentieth-century. Having begun with the traditional colour woodcut method, he experimented widely, first with aquatint and then with relief printing from zinc plates in an attempt to produce pure, even areas of colour. He developed a novel range of inks from watercolour mixed with rice paste and powdered colour dissolved in volatile oil, in order to achieve an ever greater range and depth of colour throughout his prints.
 
 
Giles began his studies at the Royal College of Art and furthered his education in Paris. In around 1931, he founded the Society of Graver-Printers in Colour and launched its journal, The Colour Print Club Journal. Throughout his career, Giles exhibited his works at the Royal Academy, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and the Royal Institute of Painters in Water-colour.