John Minnion
Encyclopedia
John Minnion is an English
illustrator
.
His distinctive black and white drawings have appeared in publications such as the Financial Times
, The Guardian
, and The Times
, where for six years he illustrated the television criticism column written by Lynne Truss
, author of the surprise best-seller about punctuation, Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Minnion drew politicians for the New Statesman
and composers (both jazz
and classical) for The Listener. His skilful caricature
s are drawn always from photographs, never from life.
Amongst Minnions' earliest issued works, which he published himself, are illustrated versions of Lewis Carroll
's Jabberwocky
(1973) and The Hunting of the Snark
(1976). He also issued a small folio of illustrations to Samuel Beckett
's Waiting for Godot
.
Most recently, Minnion has published several books which bring together drawn and written portraits, under the label of his own publishing company, Checkmate Books. The first of these books was Glued to the Gogglebox, which brought together various British television
personalities. His second publication centred on 20th century composers, and was named Uneasy Listening. This was closely followed by Hitler's List, a compendium of those found undesirable by the Third Reich, from Gypsies to Jews
, concentrating on the so-called degenerate art
. His most recent publication is Pool of Life: The Story of Liverpool in Caricatures, which has been released as part of the city's year as European Capital of Culture
.
He currently lives in Liverpool.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
.
His distinctive black and white drawings have appeared in publications such as the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, where for six years he illustrated the television criticism column written by Lynne Truss
Lynne Truss
Lynne Truss is an English writer and journalist, best known for her popular book Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.-Early life:...
, author of the surprise best-seller about punctuation, Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Minnion drew politicians for the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
and composers (both jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and classical) for The Listener. His skilful caricature
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
s are drawn always from photographs, never from life.
Amongst Minnions' earliest issued works, which he published himself, are illustrated versions of Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's Jabberwocky
Jabberwocky
"Jabberwocky" is a nonsense verse poem written by Lewis Carroll in his 1872 novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, a sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
(1973) and The Hunting of the Snark
The Hunting of the Snark
The Hunting of the Snark is usually thought of as a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll in 1874, when he was 42 years old...
(1976). He also issued a small folio of illustrations to Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
's Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
.
Most recently, Minnion has published several books which bring together drawn and written portraits, under the label of his own publishing company, Checkmate Books. The first of these books was Glued to the Gogglebox, which brought together various British television
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
personalities. His second publication centred on 20th century composers, and was named Uneasy Listening. This was closely followed by Hitler's List, a compendium of those found undesirable by the Third Reich, from Gypsies to Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, concentrating on the so-called degenerate art
Degenerate art
Degenerate art is the English translation of the German entartete Kunst, a term adopted by the Nazi regime in Germany to describe virtually all modern art. Such art was banned on the grounds that it was un-German or Jewish Bolshevist in nature, and those identified as degenerate artists were...
. His most recent publication is Pool of Life: The Story of Liverpool in Caricatures, which has been released as part of the city's year as European Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
.
He currently lives in Liverpool.