The Air Combat Paintings of Robert Taylor, by Robert Weston and Robert Taylor, 1987

Taylor, Robert, with Robert Weston. The Air Combat Paintings of Robert Taylor. St. Catherines: Vanwell Publishing Limited, 1987. First edition printing. Blue cloth boards with gilt titles to the spine. Original dust jacket. 

Presented is a first edition printing of Robert Taylor Air Combat Paintings by Robert Weston and Robert Taylor. Published in 1987 by Vanwell Publishing Limited in St. Catherines, Ontario, this book features a foreword by Air Vice Marshal ‘Johnnie’ Johnson, CB, CBE, DSO, DFC, DL. The book is volume one, of six total volumes, of Taylor’s dramatic aviation paintings.

This was the first book published featuring a comprehensive selection of Robert Taylor’s aviation paintings. The book features in-depth visual studies of many of Robert’s most outstanding early paintings, along with a wealth of pencil sketches and photographs. A number of great pilots illustrated in his paintings have contributed their own personal recollections, including first-hand accounts of the aircraft they flew in combat. Each of the paintings is reproduced in full color .Those already familiar with his work will be intrigued to discover the secrets of his techniques and all aviation buffs will delight in the behind-the-scenes stories of life with the flying Aces.

Robert Taylor is the most widely collected aviation artist. Taylor spent much of his life in Bath, England working as a fine art restorer. He was regarded as one of the most talented restorers in the West of England and worked often on many “old masters.” Taylor was 32 before he became a full-time painter for The Military Gallery. The impact of his early restoration career and the old master painters can easily be seen in his dramatic and inspiring aviation works.

In his aviation paintings, Taylor conveys the technical details of the machines while still composing a dramatic and engaging scene. The planes retain realistic detail with scuffed paint, scratches, and dirt but are still painted in a glorifying and romantic tradition of early Old World painters. Taylor’s original paintings can be found in the collections of the Imperial War Museum, the RAF Museum, the Fleet Air Arm Museum, the International Aerospace Hall of Fame, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, and the Australian War Memorial Museum.

CONDITION:

Good condition overall. Blue cloth boards with gilt titles to the spine. Original dust jacket. Some wear to dust jacket- creases and light bumping to spine. Interior pages are healthy and illustrations are bright and all accounted for.