The Art of Illustration -- Rockwell, Wyeth, and Others

Daybreak (1922), Maxfield Parrish

This is a continuation of my April 2020 post entitled, Illustration in Children's Literature & the Wyeths. It is inspired by my last post Blue Morning by George Wesley Bellows that is currently on exhibit in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. While investigating similar paintings framed by columns, I found Daybreak (1922) by American Illustrator Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966). 

Baseball Scene of Batter, Catcher and Umpire
(1915), Joseph Christian Leyendecker

Parrish is among the most famous American painters and was once the highest paid illustrator in the country. You've no doubt heard of Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) and maybe J.C. Leyendecker (1874-1951), both known for their covers on The Saturday Evening Post. Both were featured in my December 2020 post, Saint Nicholas and Father Christmas in Art. J.C.'s baseball illustrations may inspire me to write another post about the art of baseball!

Tough Call (1948), Norman Rockwell

Rockwell is probably the most recognizable illustrator of his time. As one of his iconic baseball illustrations depicts, it's a Tough Call as to which artist captured the spirit of baseball better -- Rockwell or Leyendecker. It was fun visiting the Baseball HOF in Cooperstown, NY in 2019 and seeing the art up close and personal. I also like Rockwell's The Dugout (1948) and Leyendecker's Boys Playing Baseball (1915).

Blue Lock the Queen (1916), N.C. Wyeth

A great place to view the works of these artists is the National Museum of American Illustration in Newport, Rhode Island. Here's a link to the N.C. Wyeth exhibit at NMAI. Wyeth (1882-1945) was one of the most famous and successful literary illustrators, helping readers visualize heroic characters in adventure books such as Treasure Island. His first cover for the Saturday Evening Post was published in 1903. I was introduced to his work while I was an art docent in my daughter's elementary school. This illustration accompanied a story published in Collier's magazine.

Mermaid (1910), Howard Pyle

Wyeth's mentor was American painter, Howard Pyle (1853-1911). His Mermaid painting is quite impressive and acclaimed for being the best depiction of a mermaid by an artist. The man being saved by the sea nymph is all blue, as if he became frozen in the frigid water, all expect for his red cap! Its movement reminds me of Wyeth's 'Blue Lock', even down to the red detail on the horse rider's head (bandana). While there is already tension in the mermaid's struggle, the red cap draws my attention even more. Also interesting is Pyle's treatment of the sea foam, reminding me of how Bob Ross teaches us to paint watery seascapes in his Joy of Painting TV series.

Battle at Sea (1947), Fischer

A student of Pyle, German-born American artist, Anton Otto Fischer (1882-1962) was also featured in the Post magazine. His illustrations often depicted maritime or marine war scenes such as Battle at Sea, published in a book about his sailing days. Curiously, there is a red flame in the center of the top third of the composition, much like the red cap in Pyle's Mermaid painting. While Pyle's seascape could be used to show movement, Fischer's would be perfect for teaching about perspective.

Violin Studies, Wistehuff

Revere Wistehuff (1900-1971) was part of the New Rochelle Art Colony in the 1920's, '30s and '40s, along with colleagues Rockwell and Leyendecker. His Violin Studies shows a boy who would rather be playing baseball than practicing his music. The kid reminds me of Buffalo Bob Smith's Howdy Doody character!

Grandma Catches Fly-ball,
Richard Sargent

Finally, we have another baseball illustration entitled, Marmont Hill Grandma Catches Fly-ball by Richard Sargent (1911-1979). It reminds me of Rockwell's The Dugout. It's surprising that she could see the ball with her eyes closed and her handbag hanging in the way. Isn't that Superman's Lois Lane standing next to her?

Our National Gallery of Art in DC

Majorcan Fisherman (1908), Sargent

John Singer Sargent in Spain

Recently, my daughter attended a professional conference in Washington D.C. and took the opportunity to visit several museums. She shared her photos of famous works on exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. Curiously enough, there were two exhibits of one of our mutual favorite artists, John Singer Sargent, while on one of his seven trips to Spain (1879-1912) to study Velázquez. His painting of a Majorcan Fisherman is particularly captivating and unlike many of his other portraits, usually of women, and typically with a darker color palette. It reminds me of Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party (1888) with its canopy and view through to the water in the background. I love the shadows and the sharp contrast of the dominant orange tones with the striking blue of the water.

Newly Discovered Art & Artists

Blue Morning (1909), George Bellows

Another American artist, George Wesley Bellows (1882-1925), painted a similarly framed landscape looking out over water. He is famous for painting urban life in New York City. His Blue Morning scene is reminiscent of Edvard Munch's sad depictions of mine workers returning home in the snow. Here, the column, fence, and shadows frame a silhouetted portrait on a foggy morning. The 'blue' may represent either the color of the water or the sadness of the workers. This is the last of four paintings Bellows made from 1907-1909.

Street of Barns (1914), Feininger

German American painter, caricaturist, and comic strip artist, Lyonel Feininger grew up in New York City. He was a proponent of Expressionism, painting buildings, street scenes, and barns. His figures are elongated much like those painted by fellow German Expressionist, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. At first blush, I thought this painting was one of the works by Cubist George Braque. I guess I need to practice guessing artists using Artle - the daily art exploration game created by the National Gallery of Art (it's free!).

Still Life (1918), Picasso

Peonies (1901), Picasso

Speaking of Cubists and other Expressionists, The National Gallery of Art was also showing several works by Pablo Picasso. Besides his recognizable Harlequin Musician and The Lovers, also on exhibit were Still Life and Peonies. I hadn't realized that Picasso painted these flowers. Normally, Manet and Monet are the artists whom I associate with them.

Impressionists

Children Playing on the Beach
(1884), Mary Cassatt

Many of the French Impressionists' works are also on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. My daughter took photos of the works of Mary Cassatt, Édouard Manet, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat, and Pierre Auguste Renoir. I love the innocence of Cassatt's Children Playing on the Beach (1884). Her portraits are some of my favorites -- they are timeless.

The Railway (1873), Manet

Édouard Manet preferred painting portraits, and I'd call him a French Realist. Here in The Railway we see a portrait of a mother and child waiting at the train station. I am distracted by the bars of the iron gate as well as the stitching in the mother's coat. Perhaps the daughter is dressed up to receive her father from the train. Did you notice the puppy cuddling in the woman's lap?

Still Life with Pineapple (1924), Matisse

Fauvist Henri Matisse is responsible for many colorful still lifes, and I especially like this one with a pineapple. We were lucky enough to visit his museum while in Nice, France in 2011. Like contemporary artist, Kehinde Wiley, Matisse backgrounds are always very interesting.

Woman with a Parasol - Madame
Monet and Her Son (1875), Monet

The Artist's Garden at
Vétheuil (1881), Monet

Like Manet, Claude Monet used members of his own family as his subjects. We also visited his garden at Giverny in 2011. Quite impressive!

Landscape, Ile-de-France (1873), Pissarro

My daughter knows how much I appreciate the works of Camille Pissarro, His works transcend all of the various Impressionist movements, although he is often referred to as a Neo-Impressionist. His version of Monet's haystacks is equally impressive.

Seurat Retrospective, Georges Seurat

The exhibition also featured a sort of retrospective wall showing the work of French Post-Impressionist and Pointillist, Georges Seurat. Of course, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-86) is probably his best-known Pointillist works, made famous by the play starring Mandy Patinkin.

A Girl with a Watering Can (1876),
Pierre Auguste Renoir

It's always fun to find familiar artwork at the museum you're visiting. Here's probably the most famous Renoir, A Girl with a Watering Can (1876). I seem to focus on the girl's upper half with the red bow and the blue and white dress, but I never really noticed the watering can. And I consider myself very observant!

More 20th Century Artists

Ground Swell (1939), Edward Hopper

So, luckily my daughter took photos of four more of my favorites, who are more modern and contemporary than those of the French painters you usually spot at art museums. These artists are Edward Hopper, Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miró, and Lee Krasner (wife of Jackson Pollock).

I love Hopper's clean and confident style. His paintings have no frills, little shading, and calming areas of color that capture a moment and illicit relaxation for the viewer. 

Head of a Catalan Peasant
(1934), Joan Miró

Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle)
(1913), Kandinsky

I love Abstract Expressionism and the playful compositions of Kandinsky and Miró. Whether I am teaching kids or seniors to make colorful Kandinsky concentric circles or cutting out shapes to make Miró balanced compositions, it is always fun to find new masterpieces to share with them as examples for our projects.

Cobalt Night (1962), Krasner

It's surprising how many of Jackson Pollock's work I've seen at various art museums. Like Kandinsky, his compositions are usually numbered and mention the dominant color used in the painting. While vacationing in Palm Springs, I saw the exhibit of the 12 Women of Abstract Expressionism, including some works by Lee Krasner.

I hope you enjoyed this post about some of the 'most important' works currently on display at the National Gallery of Art in D.C. While in St. Petersburg, Russia in June 2019, our tour guide only showed us the 'most important' artwork because of the vast number of pieces at the Hermitage Museum. While I certainly appreciate seeing those, I still enjoy stumbling upon those diamonds in the rough, lesser known or seldom seen works, and even those by artists I've only recently discovered. This is how we learn and grow in our ability to appreciate visual art!