Robert Weaver: "The artist... should be the reactor"

Not surprising to see that Weaver's work and words provoked some powerful reactions from readers yesterday - and how interesting to see enmity juxtaposed with admiration! Truly, Robert Weaver's polarizing effect on readers (especially those who are illustrators) reflects how each of us sees ourselves and our personal esthetic.For those who are at this point incensed, I again encourage you try to keep an open mind and see where this week takes us....

Read More

Robert Weaver: "Illustration is an essential to great painting."

As predicted, yesterday's post provoked some strong reactions - some enthusiastic, others a bit ornery. Readers asked, "why the controversy?" and wanted to take me to task for suggesting Robert Weaver might be somehow better (or even just different) than NC Wyeth. In fact, my real intent was misread - I have little doubt that Robert Weaver could have admired NC Wyeth's (or Howard Pyle's) work and that these artists actually had more in common than...

Read More

Robert Weaver: The "Anti-Wyeth"?

Last week's series on NC WYeth certainly evoked a positive response from many readers. One commenter wrote, "all hyperbole over NCW is superfluous." "NC Wyeth is fantastic!!!!!" wrote another, and a third person commented "due to the fact that the illustrations were timeless, Wyeth's work was still appropriate a full twenty years after his death."All of which makes me think this would be a wasted opportunity if I did not use it to present what...

Read More

A Little More Wyeth

Many thanks to guest author Charlie Allen for sharing so many inspiring images by NC Wyeth with us this week! As a way of repaying the favour, I thought I'd dig through my collection and see what I could come up with in the way of Wyeth artwork. This first piece, from a 1924 issue of Ladies Home Journal, had been trimmed down by the original owner along both sides to fit into a folder in my morgue. I had to do a little 'reconstructive surgery'...

Read More

NC Wyeth's "Treasure Island"

By guest author, Charlie AllenOnce again a visit with N.C.WYETH....and with his paintings for Robert Lewis Stevenson's 'Treasure Island'.The fourteen images (6 of which are included on this blog) are from a calendar beautifully produced in 1983 by Charles Scribner & Sons. They were reproduced and printed in Japan. The quality and color fidelity from the mostly original paintings (instead of from book reproductions) is outstanding. A heartfelt...

Read More

NC Wyeth's "King Arthur", conclusion

By guest author, Charlie AllenI won't comment on all the following illustrations except to say Wyeth never let the reader down. Each is a marvel of composition, draftsmanship and drama... and each offers the readers renewed interest and a glimpse of the times and mood of the story.The next to last image was a page loved and quoted by my friend Ken Alexander. 'He rode his way with the queen unto Joyous Gard'... Poetic, and dramatized so beautifully.By...

Read More

NC Wyeth's "King Arthur" continued...

By guest author, Charlie AllenThe next scan, and in pretty much the order of the nine illustrations included in the book, an amazing scene of King Arthur standing in an elaborately carved small boat contemplating the strange sword in the lake. And... to add to the eery scene... the three swans flying, apparently noiselessly through a misty background.Next, 'I am Sir Lancelot du Lake, King Ban's son of Benwick, and Knight of the Round Table'. Typical...

Read More

N.C. Wyeth: "... amazing talents"

By guest author, Charlie AllenLeif has been kind enough to ask that I contribute a blog or two on artists that I've liked in the past. This comes along later than planned... due to a rather difficult 2010 so far. Won't get into that, but we'll try this out, and hopefully viewers will see something of the past century illustration that is interesting, inspiring and entertaining. The subject is N.C. Wyeth, one of, if not the very best of the early...

Read More

William A. Smith Art Exhibit

William A. Smith has been the subject of quite a few posts here on Today's Inspiration. And why not? Smith's work is among the best of the mid-20th century period in illustration and deserves to be revisited again and again.During WWII William A Smith spent time in China in the service of the Office of Strategic Services. There he created propaganda art - its purpose, to demoralize the occupying Japanese forces. Smith also did many sketches and...

Read More