Maxfield Parrish

by Coy Ludwig

Maxfield Parrish was one of the most successful and original American painters and illustrators of the early twentieth century - a period that has since become known as the Golden Age of Illustration. Never before or since has an entire generation of Americans grown up surrounded by cans of cleanser, calendars, and boxes of chocolate adorned with such memorable Parrish paintings as Daybreak and Garden of Allah. In such works as these, the artist created a mythical kingdome where "impossibilities were treated as realities." This magic land was complete with genies, gnomes, mythical heroes, and classical nymphs reclining by shimmering lakes that reflected gorgeous, cloud-encircled castles; this world captured the imagination of virtually the entire American public. F. Scott Fitzgerald, for example, described the reflection in a restaurant window as being the color of "Maxfield Parrish moonlight."

For sixty-five years Parrish worked in widely varied fields - book illustration, magazine illustration, posters and advertisements, paintings and murals - rendering the realm of the imagination with sharp-focus realism. This illuminating book devotes a detailed, lavishly illustrated chapter to each one of these fields. For example, Parrish's most famous book illustrations include selections from Mother Goose in Prose, The Arabian Nights, and The Knave of Hearts. Also included are his famous magazine covers - from Life, Collier's, Harper's Weekly, etc. - as well as magazine illustrations, posters, advertisements and all of the landscapes that Parrish painted for Brown and Bigelow, who reproduced them as calendars every year from 1936 to 1963.

One of the highlights of the book is the chapter on Parrish's technique, examining in depth his materials, favorite methods, and unique ways of painting. In addition, this chapter features a lengthy excerpt from an unpublished manuscript by Maxfield Parrish, Jr., which explains, step-by-step, his father's glazing techniqueand his use of photography in his work.

Yet, for all his fame, in time Maxfield Parrish's work vanished from the sight and memory of all but a few. Only in the last decade has interest in his work revived. Now, with the publication of Coy Ludwig's book - the first comprehensive study of Parrish's life and work - that interest can, at last, be satisfied. Containing sixty-four full color plates and over one-hundred black and white illustrations, this definitive study also includes numerous revealing excerpts from Parrish's unpublished correspondence with his friends, family and clients.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography, Reference, Art History

223 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Chris Gager]

I KNOW I've looked through at least one Maxfield Parrish book. I used to have a picture of his hanging over my kitchen stove. In fact it was a print of the one the cover of this book! Gone now and who knows where. Date "read" is a guess.

[Roy DeRousse]

Excellent, detailed examination of Parrish's work along with high quality reproductions of the artwork. I'd give this 4.5 stars if I could because some of the artwork is printed in black and white rather than color. Understandable to make the book more affordable, but I would have preferred paying more for more color.

[Shane Moore]

My parents tell me that long before I learned to read, I loved the prints of Parrish's work collected in this book. However my tastes changed as I grew up, these images still entrances me. The artist portrayed both human figures and landscapes with layers of light and focused details that caught my imagination. As a teenager, I finally read the book itself and learned a bit about the artist's life, his techniques, and his place in art history. While that content is fine, the prints of the artist's work remain the obvious highlights of this volume.

[Troy]

My favorite American artsit! Incredible glazing technique!!!

[Marcie]

ONE OF MY FAVORITE ARTISTS. THE CLARITY & CREATIVITY IS AMAZING, AS IS THE LIGHT.

[Keith Bowden]

Anything collecting Maxfield Parrish's work is superb, but this is THE book.

[Patrick Gibson]

And yet another coffee table book find at the flea market. The got the blue right! Great accumulation of classic immages.

[Kaite Stover]

Birthday gift from my college roommate.

[Jane]

Short on biographical info - pics are lovely although the color is often wrong