Kelly's Art Blog: Fairy Tales; Anne Anderson, Maxfeild Parrish and Edmund Dulac

Beauty and the Beast:

Anne Anderson

Introduction: Anderson was a Scottish artist born in 1874, then spent her childhood days in Argentina.

In 1912, she married a painter, Alan Wright and they settled in Berkshire. Wright had a successful career in illustration prior to 1898 when he illustrated a story for Baron Corvo. The story and Corvo were highly criticized in the press, and because of his association with the story, Wright’s commissions dried up until he married Anderson. They collaborated on many books together—he would draw the animals and birds and she would draw everything else. It has been said that it is difficult to distinguish his work from hers. But mostly, he dedicated himself to providing her with an environment conducive to her work.

In addition to her illustration, she was also an etcher, watercolor painter and designer of greeting cards. (biographical information from: http://www.ortakales.com/illustrators/)

Jack and the Beanstalk:

Maxfeild Parrish

Introduction: (1870-1966) was a unique figure in American art, not belonging to any school, part traditionalist, part inventor, sometime illustrator of gnomes and dragons, other times finding inspiration in the oak trees of his New Hampshire environs.

A meticulous craftsman, Parrish's idiosyncratic painting method involved applying numerous layers of thin, transparent oil, alternating with varnish over stretched paper, yielding a combination of great luminosity and extraordinary detail. In his hands, this method gives the effect of a glimpse through a window....except that the scene viewed is from the fairy tale world.

In spite of the long time it took to perfect a painting, Parrish was prolific over the course of his productive years, from his children's books of the turn of the century, to his famous prints of androgynous, lounging nudes during the 1920s, to his calendar landscapes of the 1930s through the 1960s (Biographical information from: http://www.illustration-house.com/bios/parrish_bio.html)

Firebird:

Edmond Dulac

Introduction: French-born illustrator, designer, painter, and sculptor who settled in England in 1905 and became a British citizen in 1912. Dulac is best known as a book illustrator, particularly of fairy-tale and legendary subjects, in which his sense of fantasy and gifts as a colourist were put to brilliant effect (he was much influenced by Middle and Far Eastern art). He was also a portrait painter, a caricaturist, a sculptor, and a highly versatile designer: his output included carpets, furniture, tapestry, and much work for the stage, and one of his last commissions was a stamp commemorating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. (Biographical information from: http://arts.jrank.org/pages/12422/Edmund-Dulac.html)

The Little Mermaid: