YOU SHOULD KNOW J.C. LEYENDECKER
25.04.08
This “You Should Know” is the first of what I hope to be a weekly article or interview featuring an artist (living or dead) that I think everyone ought to know about. Illustration happens to be my area of focus, but I’m keeping the criteria wide open. Ideally this will be a way for me to learn about new artists as well, so if you’d like to see a particular artist featured just shoot me an email at: josh@josholland.com
This is a WPSimpleViewerGallery
The first featured artist is a ghost of illustration’s past, Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874-1951).
Leyendecker’s long and illustrious career is so damned interesting, I’m not quite sure where to begin. I think I’ll focus on the lesser known facts. He was personally very shy and something of a recluse, no doubt stemming from the fact that he was gay in a time when being openly gay meant career suicide. His lover became a social icon of the idealized man, appearing as the subject of many of his paintings (the strapping slick-haired blonde fellow). Joseph’s brother Frank was also an incredibly talented artist, though eventually overshadowed by his big brother.
J.C. Leyendecker was among the first artists to create the modern magazine cover that functions as a separately engaging art piece. His 40 year stint painting covers for The Saturday Evening Post made him among the most known artists of his time, and inspired some guy named Norman Rockwell to the point of stalker obsession. Rockwell went so far as moving to the same block that Leyendecker lived on, just to be closer to his idol (who undoubtably influenced the great American illustrator’s every brush stroke).
The tail end of Leyendecker’s career was rocky at best, as he struggled to secure the work that had come so effortlessly throughout his entire career. Rockwell became the new face of the Saturday Evening Post, and Joseph slipped into obscurity. He later died of a heart attack, and his Saturday Evening Post paintings were sold for $75 each by his sister. Something to look forward to kids, becoming the most famous artist of your time, only to die frustrated and forgotten. Yay!
Leyendecker’s painting style is unmistakably his own, shockingly and timelessly modern. His observant shaping, exaggerated anatomy, animated gestures and highly expressive brush strokes will continue to influence and inspire illustrators forever. I’ve had the pleasure of viewing Leyendecker’s work in person, an experience I’d recommend to anyone who has the opportunity as he is truly one of the greatest commercial artists to ever wield a brush.
Tags: illustration, J.C. Leyendecker, YOU SHOULD KNOW
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