Look & Learn No 853 (20 May 1978) - Into The Unknown: England's First Great Colonist

October 29th, 1618. Tudor swashbuckler Sir Walter Raleigh faces the executioner's axe: "What dost thou fear? Strike, man, strike!"

Bit of mystery this one. Bought from an Italian auction house, this was sold as being by the Italian illustrator Severino Baraldi: and, in Look & Learn 853 (20 May 1978, as confirmed by the verso of the illustration), the DPS for this feature does credit the artist as Baraldi (these articles were typically illustration with a DPS splash, then a smaller spot illustration on the third, concluding page).

But is this illustration really by Baraldi? Over the course of 1978, Severino Baldini alternated week-by-week with the Swiss/British illustrator Oliver Frey. While Baraldi's work is typified by a light brush of pale pastel colours, full screen scenes, and figures with elegant mannerist sways, Frey's favours close-up brutal scrums, dutch angles, and a baroque chiaroscuro. If Baraldi is Bronzino directing ‘The Age of Innocence’, Frey, influenced by British illustrators such as Frank Bellamy, is Caravaggio directing 'Cape Fear'.

The DPS is clearly NOT by Baraldi, despite the credit, and thus, the spot illustration, with its angled horizon, firm brush-strokes of gouache, and sunlit contrast pushed-to-white is definitely Oliver Frey.

EDIT: it has been pointed out to me that the inset portrait for the DPS clearly IS Baraldi: and so we have an explanation for the confusion. To drive home my point I have included Baraldi's DPS from the previous week...

A mix-up at Fleetway offices that got this sent to Italy, rather than to Ludlow? We will never know, but I'm thrilled add this striking image to my collection of Frey's work.

Gouache on paper
Image: 29.5 x 24.5 cms
Mount: 34 x 30 cms