Oh, I love Maxfield Parrish's work too. I think their relative obscurity today is because in their own time (first half of the 20th Century) they were regarded as "illustrators." Their work was mostly seen in advertisements, book illustrations, magazine articles, etc. As such, they enjoyed popular support but to the artsy crowd they never had the "gravitas" of the Old Masters.
Like you said, I think they were easily as good as the classical painters -- and in Parrish's case even better in terms of capturing light and the way light appears to emanate right off the canvas -- but in the arrogance of the Art World, they were never considered "serious" painters. Their work, when it was commented on at all, was considered "sentimental" and "naive" by the critics of the time.
I'm just glad their work survived so we can appreciate them today.
Well put. For me, Parrish's work always had an ethereal other-worldly nature to them, almost like a world that might have existed before the Great Flood, or perhaps in another dimension altogether. And that also (I think) has to do with both the composition of his works AND the way he was able to capture light. There seems to be a permanent sunrise or sunset in his paintings, and the people there also have a certain glow about them.
Oh, I love Maxfield Parrish's work too. I think their relative obscurity today is because in their own time (first half of the 20th Century) they were regarded as "illustrators." Their work was mostly seen in advertisements, book illustrations, magazine articles, etc. As such, they enjoyed popular support but to the artsy crowd they never had the "gravitas" of the Old Masters.
Like you said, I think they were easily as good as the classical painters -- and in Parrish's case even better in terms of capturing light and the way light appears to emanate right off the canvas -- but in the arrogance of the Art World, they were never considered "serious" painters. Their work, when it was commented on at all, was considered "sentimental" and "naive" by the critics of the time.
I'm just glad their work survived so we can appreciate them today.
Rockwell captured the image of the America we love. Parrish showed us the dream that shines through reality.
Well put. For me, Parrish's work always had an ethereal other-worldly nature to them, almost like a world that might have existed before the Great Flood, or perhaps in another dimension altogether. And that also (I think) has to do with both the composition of his works AND the way he was able to capture light. There seems to be a permanent sunrise or sunset in his paintings, and the people there also have a certain glow about them.
OK, thanks, fren, nice chat.