Ronald King

This illustrated version of Chaucer’s Prologue to the Canterbury Tales was artist Ron King’s first project with Circle Press, a firm established by King in 1967 and now a leading publisher of artists’ books. For this work, King hand-cut paper stencils for each of the 15 screenprints illustrating a character in Chaucer’s text. King’s inspiration for the designs came from studying masks and medieval heraldry. Using bright colors and abstracted geometrical forms, he transforms the late-medieval text into a contemporary work of art.

–SM