Art Bound- The Great Illustrators Part 1

The Great Illustrators: Part I

The heyday of book cover designers also marks the flourishing of illustrators. In fact, this period is often referred to as the “Golden Age of American Illustration.” The first and last book in this case reflect the local Brandywine tradition, led by Howard Pyle (1853-1911), who launched a number of illustrators through his classes at Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, the Art Students League in New York City, and finally in Wilmington, Delaware, where he taught from his studio, and Chadds Ford, PA. From these classes issued artists like N. C. Wyeth, Jessie Wilcox Smith, and Frank Schoonover (whose work can be seen in the next case). Pyle’s dramatic work is echoed in that of his student N. C. Wyeth, and it contrasts with the more delicate approach taken by Harrison Fisher and Howard Chandler Christy, who competed with Charles Dana Gibson by creating the “Christy Girls.” Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966), also known as a successful muralist, who studied at both Haverford College and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, displays a different approach to color and drama than seen in the work of either the followers of Howard Pyle or the more delicate designs of Christy and Fisher. His dramatic approach to color, often employing his own version of lapis lazuli, created a unique and memorable style.