Illustration Inside

Illustration, A Visual History, is the title; a title the book certainly is not for those who love the art of Illustration.

I usually practice due diligence with art books, before buying. Unfortunately, in this case, I did not. I do not buy art books to read the narrative, though I often do read it. In this case, the choices of illustration displayed were the major disappointment. I gave it one star because there was no lower choice.

The examples were those of weak art, and missing was the greatest illustrators and later some of great fine artists of the world. Where is the Brit/Welsh, or Sir Francis (Frank) Brangwyn, or Dean Cornwell, and Norman Rockwell? And where are: JC Leyendecker, NC Wyeth, James Montgomery Flagg, Jesse Wilcox, Charles Dana Gibson, Maxfield Parrish, Frank Frazetta, Harvy Dunn and the Brandy Wine Artists? Where are LaGatta, Thomas Blacksear, Mortimer Wilson, Jon Whitcome, WD Barlowe, Dan Content, , Charles de Feo, Walt Everett, J R Flanagan, Saul Tepper, Pruett Carter, Ralph Pallen ColemanMario Cooper, George E Giguere, Mead Schaeffer, Ann Meisel, D, M. Luzak, Francis Livingston, Al Parker, John Pike, Walt Biggs, , John Scott Willims, Frank E. Schoonover, J Clement Cole, Kay Nielsen , WJ Alward, Albert Beck Wenzell, Eric Pape, Jules Guerin, and Tom Lovell?

Moreover, where are Hodges Soileau, Victor Livoti, Jeff Jones, Brom, Mark English, Howard Terpning, whose newest art sells for Hundreds of Thousands to upwards of $1.5 million? Where are Christopher Fox Payne, Bernie Fuchs, Von Schmidt, Lyman Anderson. Harry Anderson, The ever great-Haddon Sundblum, and where the Hell is R G. Harris, and James Gurney? There is but one black and white pen and ink drawing by Howard Pyle, and a small reproduction of an illustration by J. C. Leyendecker, which the authors wrongly attributed to Norman Rockwell, sitting at the bottom of page 150. An unlikely place for a piece of J. C. Leyendecker art, which is worth a small fortune. They are not present in this book, so how is it, “Illustration, A Visual History?”

This book was for me a waste of money and time and focuses on cartoons and caricatures and other rather primitive and somewhat abstract, or distorted squiggles in ink and weak, flat color. To my taste it displays the fringes of illustration, most of which would never be seen anywhere in my vast collection of artists and art books or hanging on the walls of my home or studio. to me it is a history of junk art, 3rd rate art. VERY disappointing, to say the least.

Don’t know about you, but this is NOT my cup of tea, or any cup of anything else.

If you want a great book on Illustrators with outstanding reproductions of at least America’s greatest illustrators, all of those I mentioned above and many more, buy instead, THE ILLUSTRATOR IN AMERICA, by Walt Reed and the Society of Illustrators. Now, THAT is a book of Illustrators and the best in anywhere in the world, ever!

Rating: 1 / 5