by Fulcrum Gallery Staff
23. December 2014 15:41
Imagine a background presided over by rocky mountain landscapes covered in slight mist, with a foreground enlivened by surreal characters, all woven by a soft glowing majesty as in a dream. This could be synonymous with the works of early 20th century American painter Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966).
A product of New England, Parrish was born and raised in Philadelphia. He graduated from Haverford College in 1892, and attended the Pennsylvania Academy from 1892 to 1894, where he took some of Howard Pyle's classes at the Drexel Institute. He then moved to New Hampshire during his late 20's, where he rendered prominent works such as "Daybreak," "Ecstasy," and "Evening Shadows," which partly make up a collection of work spanning over four decades. In some cases Parrish's works appeared as illustrations in several of magazines of his day, such as "Life" and "Colliers." Parrish also had international success around 1900 when his works were used as illustrations in the classical children's books "Golden Age" and "Dream Days," by Kenneth Graham's books.
Attributes of his artistic technique included the use of glowing colors, achieved through glazing, which involves bright layers of oil set apart by varnish. In the early part of his career, he often painted women on rocks, then later transitioned to mainly painting landscapes. His success in book illustrations could be attributed to his passion for reading books.
Consider adding an image of soft glowing majesty from one of America's renowned painters to your home or art collection: Consider the works of Maxfield Parrish.
