Classic illustration

When I first saw this image over a friend's fireplace about 35 years ago, I was fascinated. In spite of its rather florid graphic style and overt sentimentality (maybe that's part of its appeal?), the play of light, the androgyny of the figures, and the overall composition intrigued me. It took quite a bit of research to find out more about the artist, Maxfield Parrish.

Nowadays, we have the Internet—and research like this is much easier. For example, it was not until researching for this post did I discover that the print I saw and linked to at the beginning actually is supposed to look more like this.

Parrish's teacher was Howard Pyle, whose work was clearly influenced by the work of the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood—though he may well have protested otherwise, I'm sure—and whose work inspired a number of other illustrators and painters.

What does this have to do with technology? It was musing on the process of rotogravure—which allowed newspapers to print their Sunday supplements in color starting in the period around World War I and brought color illustrations to the masses on a weekly basis, often in an advertising context. Magazine and advertising illustrations brought the work of Parrish and N.C. Wyeth to a mass audience in new ways.

Besides, I like this stuff…