Haddon Sundblom: "[His paintings] have what people like!"

In a June 1956 article on Haddon Sundblom in American Artist magazine, author Frederic Whitaker explains what makes Sundblom's work so universally appealing. Whitaker writes about "... the sunlight glow that pervades all his work - that lucency which aroused the expressed envy even of that other giant of illustration, Norman Rockwell."



"Technically," writes Whitaker, "his paintings are always sunny. They and their characters and settings breath an air of refinement."



"They are romantic, idealistic, melodious, wholesome, healthy, pleasing. They look good. His men are men, his women desirable, his children adorable. He gives the human race cause for self-respect."



"Never do his compositions ever suggest anything sordid or depressing, either in color or in subject matter. They have what people like!"



"One might suggest," Whitaker concludes, "that the advocates of the mud-and-misery school of painting could learn much from contemplating the results."

* Thanks to Heritage Auctions for allowing me to use their scan of a Haddon Sundblom original at the top of today's post.

* Thanks also to Aron Gagliardo of the American Academy of Art for the photos of Sunny Sundblom's clip files, which are part of the Academy's collection. More on Sundblom's connection to the American Academy of Art ... tomorrow!

* My Haddon Sundblom Flickr set.