Viva Lewes Issue #140 May 2018

DESIGN
Art School for three years, during which
he worked prolifically as a graphic artist
and devised two typefaces, Hyperion and
Albertus. The latter would subsequently
become the font most closely associated
with Faber, and indeed Wolpe himself.
He emigrated to England in 1935 fleeing
the rise of Nazism, and eventually became
a naturalised British citizen in 1947. In
1939, however, along with other German
nationals resident in England, he was
deported to Australia. With assistance from
eminent typographer Stanley Morison, he
was allowed to return to the UK in 1941.
Faber’s visionary design director, Richard
de la Mare (son of Walter), was quick to
enlist Wolpe as resident jacket designer.
The timing of his arrival proved most
serendipitous during the war and in
its aftermath. His skills enabled him
to thrive as shortages of paper and ink
alongside an increasing demand for books
necessitated resourceful design. His dust
jackets are spare in material terms yet rich
in inventiveness and flair. They have an
intensely tactile quality. In his letterforms,
the brushstrokes on coarse paper are
almost audible but so, on occasion, is a
chisel on bronze. There is simultaneously
a gestural flourish and a taut structure that
chimes with his early grounding in metal.
This exhibition promises to show us
something of the man beyond the
covers and includes drawings from his
private collection. Many of these are in
black Indian ink on poor-quality paper,
corrected in white poster paint and with
hastily written instructions to the printer
in blue pencil.
If you make it to Snape Maltings too, and
hear someone whimpering, do come and
say hello.
Neil Gower
Snape Maltings, Suffolk, till 24th June
Images courtiesy of Et Al Design Consultants
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