Sunday, April 08, 2007

Easter = Leyendecker

Happy jelly beans and chocolate bunnies.

Because I have had countless lunches, and way too many slices of pumpkin pie, sitting under this J.C. Leyendecker "Easter" painting at the Society, Easter and Leyendecker go hand in hand to me. (Of course, as the man that invented the New Year’s Baby the same could be said for that holiday. And he did help solidify the look of the modern day Santa. But anyway....) Has there ever been an illustrator with more elegance and grace, or with such an impeccable sense of design and control without loosing the life and playfulness of a painting? I doubt it.

Truly, Leyendecker's work must be seen in person. His signature linear brush strokes are so confidently placed that he never over-paints the surface, often leaving canvas and underpainting to show through as textures that are difficult to appreciate in reproduction. Lucky for me, there is
only 660 days left before this Leyendecker show gets to my neck of the woods. Woo-hoo!

For great detail shoots from the exhibit, check out this Ey Foo series: Part one, two, and three.

10 comments:

Carl V. Anderson said...

These are great! He's actually one of the artists I have on a list for a Friday Favorite one of these days, and I have at least one book of his work on my wishlist. Thanks for sharing these.

Tony Shasteen said...

Thank you so much for posting this Irene. I see a road trip to Alabama in my future!

Arkady Roytman said...

2009?!?!?!?! That's a damn long time. someone should let them know that we're in NY. NEW YORK!!! Since when does Alabama gets stuff before New York!?!? What's next, snow in April? Oh, wait....

Irene Gallo said...

Carl - I'll be looking out for that post!

Tony - I'm glad it's coming near you. Let us know how it is.

Arkday - I've know about it for 6 months so, yes, it's a LONG wait. The Society also has a show in the wings that will focus on American illustrators that studied in Europe. Leyendecker will be a big part of it. I'm not sure when the show is scheduled, it's a ways off as well but it should be great.

David Apatoff said...

I love Leyendecker too, Irene. He's one of my very favorites. And I sure do agree with Arkady, 2009 is a long time to hold your breath but I will definitely be there. Thanks for posting these great links.

As a footnote, I believe that the Leyendecker "studies" posted by American Art Archives were not actually done by Leyendecker. They were done by art students working from Leyendecker's work as a model (which is a great way to learn). These studies were sold at auction as being "in the style of" Leyendecker but his genuine studies are far more impressive. I only offer this little tidbit because I respect the artist so much and want to preserve the integrity of his work.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the information. Leyendecker is a huge favorite of mine. I'm Alabama-bound myself in 2008. Sorry to Arkady, but the world doesn't revolve around NYC, regardless of what y'all might think!

Irene Gallo said...

David – Thanks for the heads up. I took down the link.

Arkady – It may be a long way off, but I take solace in the fact that we’ll get a double dose – It’ll be in Yonkers and Long Island.

Arkady Roytman said...

Well someone should tell the world to start revolving around us. :P

on another note, there is no catalog printed of the show. That's an even bigger crime. Maybe Greg could use his boyish charm to convince the museum to take pictures.

Anonymous said...

This is the kind of great painting that will be appreciated by future generations as being equivalent to master painters like Bourgereau....they just haven't been dead long enough.
And neither have we.

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