Life beyond the Planet Zog

The artistic pairing of Quentin Blake and Roald Dahl is one that belongs to our collective childhood. Blake illustrated all but one of Dahl’s books and for over 50 years his distinctive sketchy and rough-around-the-edges style has become instantly recognisable to generations of children, so much so that his playful illustrations are now part of our cultural DNA. In his illustrations naivety is met with an honesty and acceptance of the personalities we encounter in everyday life.

However, the illustrations he did aimed at adults are far more rarely seen and these are the subject of the Foundling Museum’s latest exhibition Quentin Blake – As Large As Life from January 12 – April 15. It presents over 60 works that Blake created for four hospital wards in the UK and France. The murals and paintings, designed to have a therapeutic effect upon residents still capture the snippets of magic and creativity that exist where we don’t always bother to look but are more serious in their intention.

The are no Twits, Wonkas or Big Friendly Giants lurking around the corner, instead, the images reveal Blake’s thoughtful response to the specific needs of each hospital ward. His series Ordinary Life, commissioned for the Vincent Square Eating Disorder Clinic, London, celebrates the quiet poetry and pleasures of everyday life, the banal or wholesome activities that comprise daily routine. Meanwhile, Our Friends in the Circus, created for a mental health ward for older adults at Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow, comically depicts seniors defying the impossible; tightrope-walking, hanging from trees and balancing on stilts.

“The issues are there, but not in any spirit of crisis,” Blake explains. “I think the presence of pictures helps to make being in, or visiting a hospital a more normal, less alien experience.”

The Foundling has partnered with Artfinder to produce a free iPad app for the exhibition, which features a video interview with the artist explaining his working methods, as well as high-resolution images with digital zoom. You can view and purchase the limited edition prints from the app, from Artfinder, or through the Foundling. Whether you prefer to experience Blake in books, hanging on your walls or in tablet form, his illustrations continue to have a timeless appeal that inspire viewers to daydream about the everyday.

Artfinder's free iPad app for the Foundling Museum's Quentin Blake exhibition