BuroNorth

The problem with Gill

Last week my Mum discovered a tiny chapel behind the church at Capel y Fin in South Wales UK. What was noteworthy about this particular chapel was that the churchyard had been ‘rescued’ by the famous typographer and stone mason Eric Gill.

Knowing Id be interested, Mum stuck her head into the local pub to find out more about Gill’s role in the preservation of the little chapel. The men at the bar described Gill as “that pedophile” and refused to discuss it further. It turns out that the patrons of the Llanthony pub were right. Whilst Gill did create beautiful carvings and typefaces, he was also guilty of incest with his daughters and bestiality with the family dog!

This made me think. Should we now reconsider Gill’s work in the light of his lifestyle choices, and should we think twice before using his typefaces? I believe this leads to a broader question, should the private lives of artists and designers effect the way we view and use their work?

Personally I feel that the two cannot be separated, not to say that we shouldn’t appreciate the work of artists, such as Richard Wagner, but their work should always be considered in the context of the process that created it, in the case of Wagner an extreme antisemitism, that was greatly appreciated by his biggest fan.

“Whoever wants to understand National Socialist Germany must first know Wagner”. [Adolf Hitler]