The Rise of an American Art by Michael Zakian,California Art Club
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CALIFORNIA ART CLUB NEWSLETTER Documenting California’s Traditional Arts Heritage Since 1909 The Rise of an American Art by Michael Zakian he Golden Age of American subscriptions. In order to compete enthusiastically embraced by the public. Illustration remains one of the in the new, larger, and more dynamic By its very nature, illustration was Tmost fascinating chapters in the marketplace of the early twentieth an art form designed to be accessible. history of American art and culture. It century, editors turned to illustrators, The goal of these artists was to create an was a period that saw the practice of commissioning them to create new, image that would capture and convey illustration rise from humble beginnings inventive images that would attract a the essence of a book, magazine story to become a dominant and sophisticated growing population of eager consumers. or advertising campaign. The goal of art form that touched the lives of almost An upward spiral of increasing demand using art to reach people was the prime every American. The best artists of this motivated artists to create art of higher motivation of Howard Pyle, who has movement—a long list that includes such and higher quality which in turn was been called the “Father of Modern illustrious names as Howard Illustration.” Not only did Pyle (1853–1911), Charles Pyle produce thousands of Dana Gibson (1866–1944), acclaimed illustrations, he Maxfield Parrish (1870– also founded the Howard 1966), J.C. Leyendecker Pyle School of Illustration (1874–1951), N.C. Wyeth Art in Wilmington, (1882–1945), Dean Cornwell Delaware, where he taught (1892–1960), and Norman the next generation of Rockwell (1894–1978)— illustrators, including Frank gained national fame. They Schoonover (1877–1972), won the hearts of the public Mead Schaeffer (1898–1980), by giving visual form to the Harvey Dunn (1884–1942), country’s hopes, dreams, Jessie Willcox Smith and ideals. The images they (1863–1935), and N.C. produced have entered the Wyeth. Pyle also founded canon of American popular The Brandywine School as culture and still have the well as an artists’ colony in power to captivate the public Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, one hundred years after their near Brandywine Creek creation. where he and his top This era arose from students developed a a confluence of various style of illustration that factors—technological, social, became widely published political, economic—that in adventure novels and came together to produce a romance magazines. meteoric rise in American As a young boy growing publishing at the turn of up in a Quaker family, Pyle the twentieth century. This was captivated by books revolution began in 1879 with with woodblock prints and the invention of the halftone engravings—and was moved photoengraving process. This by the drama captured in these innovation allowed printers images. When he became a to reproduce a painting on professional artist he ignored the printed page. Around the Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874–1951) the possibilities of fine art, same time improvements Woman Kissing Cupid, 1923 which he saw as narrow and in mass-mailing dropped Oil on canvas 27 1/20 3 22 1/40 elitist, preferring to become a the cost of magazine The Kelly Collection of American Illustration storyteller in paint. california art club www.californiaartclub.org winter 2013 2 A man of uncompromising standards, Pyle’s most illustrious student was N.C. but had the opportunity to return to Howard Pyle always sought to raise the Wyeth, who went on to become one of Europe to gain a year-long formal atelier standards of both his own work and the most recognized and highly regarded art education at the Académie Julian his field. In order to create powerful illustrators of the 20th century. Wyeth in Paris, where he studied the work of illustrations that captured the crux of a produced more than 3,000 paintings Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901) and famed complex story in a single riveting image, and illustrated 112 books, twenty-five of Art Nouveau poster artist Alphonse he focused his attention on one key them for the Scribner Classics series, Mucha (1860–1939). When he returned component—narrative composition. His for which he earned national fame. His to America, he shifted his focus from skills are evident in a masterpiece such first book for Scribner’s, Treasure Island, fine art to illustration and quickly came as Dead Men Tell No Tales. This painting was so successful that the proceeds from to dominate the field. Leyendecker is depicts a dramatic moment when a it allowed him to pay for his house credited with creating the Arrow Collar group of five pirates have rowed to shore and studio. A painting he created as Man, a fictional figure based on his to bury their treasure. After shots were the cover for another Scribner’s book, younger life partner, Charles Beach, fired, three witnesses fell dead, inviting The Boy’s King Arthur, has two battling that set the standards for masculine the viewer to ponder the fate of the last knights intertwined into one essential virility and formed the basis of the first two. Through his brilliant placement volume. Wyeth rejected Pyle’s emphasis modern life-style advertising campaign. of key elements within a largely empty on accurate details and chose to convey In addition, Leyendecker produced more expanse, he uses isolated mass and his narratives in bold, powerful forms. than 400 magazine covers and set the distance to create a sense of time and His art stresses the passionate and standard for modern magazine design. tension. Pyle’s great gift to American dynamic, sometimes veering into the His name became synonymous with The illustration was his high-minded ideals melodramatic. Saturday Evening Post, the nation’s most regarding the integrity of storytelling Another early illustrator who set popular magazine at the time, and he and the importance of historical the standards for his profession was eventually produced 322 covers for this accuracy that set the standards for his J.C. Leyendecker. Born in Germany, venerable publication, one more than field. Leyendecker moved to Chicago as a boy, Norman Rockwell, his younger colleague. Howard Pyle (1853–1911) Dead Men Tell No Tales, 1899 Oil on canvas 20 1/40 3 30 1/40 The Kelly Collection of American Illustration california art club www.californiaartclub.org winter 2013 3 CALIFORNIA ART CLUB NEWSLETTER Winter 2013 Contents Cover The Rise of an American Art by Michael Zakian 5 Jean LeGassick: In Love with the Land by Molly Siple 8 California Art Club Returns to Exposition Park to Present the 102nd Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition Dean Cornwell (1892-1960) at the USC Fisher Museum Mary Washing Jesus’ Feet, 1928 of Art 0 3 0 Oil on canvas 34 48 by Beverly Chang The Kelly Collection of American Illustration 11 Membership Program and Leyendecker’s unsurpassed to be close to him.” Rockwell adopted Events achievement as an illustrator lay in his his idol’s brilliant use of vignettes, but exceptional ability to design powerful downplayed the stylized rhythmic 12 Call for Entries two-dimensional shapes. He instinctively lines, preferring to focus instead on 13 Collectors’ Circle Corner treated all forms as silhouettes, rendering the material quality of people and every object as an intriguing outline that things. This attention to the texture of 14 Chapter News and Events would capture the viewer’s attention. He everyday objects is seen in his painting then developed these flat graphic shapes for a Saturday Evening Post cover titled 16 News Briefs into convincing and captivating three- Dreaming of Adventure. He captured the 18 Donations dimensional volumes by exploring the poignant isolation of a middle-aged rhythmical relationships of internal lines clerk sitting alone at his work table. 19 Museum/Gallery by using the hachure method, a form of Although confined to a drab office Exhibitions and Lectures cross-hatching and shading. Leyendecker life, he nevertheless dreams of heroic gave truth to the old art school adage exploits, represented by the grand sailing 28 Book Reviews that drawing is simply designing ship above his head. Rockwell went on shapes. His impressive command of his to become the best-known American 28 Bulletin board pictorial language elevated him into illustrator of the mid-twentieth century. 28 Membership News the stratosphere of illustrators, making His fame rests largely with the 321 covers him a household name and a figure he created for The Saturday Evening Post, 29 In Memoriam beloved by the American people. In one less than Leyendecker, whom out of fact, Leyendecker’s illustrations were respect he did not want to surpass. 31 New Members so admired in the 1920s that in a single month he received 17,000 letters from any of these illustrators Advertisers fans—exceeding the number of fan mail Mchose to push the limits of their received by screen idol Rudolf Valentino. art to dramatic extremes. Coles Phillips 13 Heritage Auctions Leyendecker’s art was so popular that (1880–1927) preferred to work in 14 Plein Air Magazine he inspired a subsequent generation of gouache, a dense, opaque watercolour, artists. Norman Rockwell, twenty years and employed this medium in 1909 11 Streamline Art Video his junior, looked up to the older artist to create his first “Fade-away Girl.” By as a role model and referred to him as rendering parts of the figure’s clothing 30 Vasari Classic Artists’ “the great J.C. Leyendecker.” He admitted the same colour as the background, Oil Colors that “Leyendecker was my god” and he achieved the illusion of the figure confessed that he used to “follow him disappearing into the surrounding space.