His given name was Frederick Parrish; but, he later adopted the maiden name of his paternal grandmother, Maxfield, as his middle name, and later as his professional name. His father was an engraver and landscape artist, and young Parrish's parents encouraged his talent. He lived his entire life at his New Hampshire home/studio at The Oaks.
Launched by a commision to illustrate books, his work includes L. Frank Baum's Mother Goose in Prose in 1897, his repertoire included many prestigious projects including Eugene Field's poems of childhood (including 8 color plates) (1904) (see illustration) and such traditional works as Arabian Nights (including 12 color plates) (1909). Books illustrated by Parrish, in addition to those that include reproductions of Parrish's work - including A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales (including 10 color plates) (1910), The Golden Treasury of Songs and Lyrics (including 8 color plates) (1911) and The Knave of Hearts (including 23 color images) (1925) - are highly sought-after collectors items. He had numerous commissions from popular magazines in the 1910s and 1920s including Hearst's, Colliers, and Life. In the 1920s, Parrish turned away from illustration and concentrated on painting for its own sake. Androgynous nudes in fantastical settings were a recurring theme. In 1931, he declared to the Associated Press, "I'm done with girls on rocks", and opted instead to focus on landscapes.
Launched by a commision to illustrate books, his work includes L. Frank Baum's Mother Goose in Prose in 1897, his repertoire included many prestigious projects including Eugene Field's poems of childhood (including 8 color plates) (1904) (see illustration) and such traditional works as Arabian Nights (including 12 color plates) (1909). Books illustrated by Parrish, in addition to those that include reproductions of Parrish's work - including A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales (including 10 color plates) (1910), The Golden Treasury of Songs and Lyrics (including 8 color plates) (1911) and The Knave of Hearts (including 23 color images) (1925) - are highly sought-after collectors items. He had numerous commissions from popular magazines in the 1910s and 1920s including Hearst's, Colliers, and Life. In the 1920s, Parrish turned away from illustration and concentrated on painting for its own sake. Androgynous nudes in fantastical settings were a recurring theme. In 1931, he declared to the Associated Press, "I'm done with girls on rocks", and opted instead to focus on landscapes.
Parrish's art features dazzlingly luminous color; the color Parrish blue was named in acknowledgement. He achieved the results by means of a technique known as glazing where bright layers of oil color separated by varnish are applied alternately over a base rendering. He would build up the depth in his paintings by photographing, enlarging, projecting and tracing half- or full-size objects or figures. Parrish then cut out and placed the images on his canvas, covering them with thick, but clear, layers of glaze. The result is realism of elegiac vivacity. His work achieves a unique three-dimensional appearance, which does not translate well to coffee table books.
"Daybreak", his arguably most famous picture, framed in a 1920's trilogy, along with several others, have just joined the Bloomsbury collection.
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