These images always make me think of my grandparents house in Newton – and my aunt Regina, who had a big book of Maxfield Parrish’s work in her room. I was transported by him. Still love him – and every year when I buy a wall calendar, it’s a Maxfield Parrish one. Maybe it’s the smidgeon of romantic spirit left in me (Keith would laugh at me for saying that. “You’re over-the-top romantic, Sheila. Gimme a break.”) – but I find him almost gushingly fantastic. I look at his stuff and I find myself going off into lovely beautiful worlds in my head, ramparts upon ramparts, vaulted clouds in the sky. You know. Romantic! I’m not generally into fantasy (as a genre), or pretty Renaissance Faire princesses running through misty woods wearing big cone-hats. Not my style. But Maxfield Parrish? Bring it on. There’s something psychedelic about him. Druggy. (More on Parrish here.)
Happy happy place!
I love #5
And the last is such a gorgeous shade of blue!
Oh drat, now I cant decide who I like best, Parrish or Neilsen…okay, I like both, equally! LOL
Is Nielsen the one who did those fairy drawings that you posted on your old blog? The white woman in the dark woods? God, those were inCREDible illustrations.
Yep Kay Neilsen –
SurLaLune Fairytales – Kay Neilsen
AND
Maxfield Parrish
Definitely psychedelic – am I drugged yet? yes, I think I am!
So incredible. It’s this one that really gets to me – but they’re all so beautiful.
I tend to think of Parrish as being more related to some kind of fantasy-version of Ancient Greece (maybe something like an Isle of the Amazons, only the woman aren’t big, one-breasted warriors?) than he is to Renaissance Faire type stuff.
I love the saturated colors that he used, and the way the women run around in a state of partial-to-total undress like it’s the most natural thing in the world – there’s no attempt to titillate there, it’s not any kind of “look-what-I’m-getting-away-with” type of style…it’s just beautiful.
Yeah, I think you’re right, ricki – there’s more of a classical ancient world thing going on. Maybe it’s something about the colors that remind me of Renaissance Fairs- or the Pied Piper of Hamelin ambience … not sure. There’s also his paintings with huge castles towering in the background – almost like they’re part of the sky …so beautiful!!
It’s weird when I see some of Parrish’s more conventional illustrations – saturday evening post covers and stuff – where he toned it down and was more in Americana mode … it’s like you would barely know it was him!!
God, that’s gorgeous. You’re right – very very romantic. In a classical sense. I love the flowing-ness of the garments.
And you make a great point about Parrish’s use of light. It seems to be that the light somehow gives the sense of scale you’re talking about – like he does these mountains – and he somehow shows the light hitting on every crag – and then the shadows beneath … hard to explain – but … it’s like how mountains FEEL, when you are looking at them – rather than what you ACTUALLY see. It’s hyper-aware – it’s the romantic idea of a mountain. It really appeals to me, for some reason!
no offense, ms.omalley, but i got some these up on my wall.
and the blue you got dont do them justice.
this is robins egg.
maxfield never talked that color cept out the side his mouth.
lapis lazuli. mood indigo.
his deep was so blue you could hide the marinas trench,pack twilight,and stack howling wolfs whole catalog on top.
just to be reminded is worth the trip here.
never know what i’ll see here.
I wonder if Parrish’s sense of scale was in any way inspired by the painters of the “Hudson River School” of painting.
I mean, the STYLES are very different – the Hudson River School was, IIRC, largely aimed at promoting the “bigness” of America as a new country and some of the “Manifest Destiny” ideas floating at the time (I don’t mean propagandistically, I mean, the painters seem to kind of have internalized those ideas and they’re sort of expressed subconsciously).
But the Hudson River school paintings (which I LOVE and wish I could find some good reproductions of, particularly “Kindred Spirits” by Durand) have that same sense of “bigness” of the landscape – that same sense of scale.
To my eye, it really isn’t the subject matter that makes Parrish’s work distinct, even with his illustrations I can always see his hand clearly. The most distinct thing about him, to me, is the way he depicted light (as you mentioned, Sheila). and not just how he places it, and how alive his use of light is (he layered paint and varnish in unique ways to get that vibrant appearance) – he used A LOT of golden light. All that yellow and gold made everything he did warmer than it would otherwise have been.
I was in Philly several years ago when the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts had a very comprehensive show of his work (he was an alumnus). Among other things, they had a great many of the photographs showing models posing for some of his most recognizable works. One of the things that fascinated me was that there were quite a few instances where he used a slender female model for a male figures. And he posed for quite a few of his own pieces, including, if memory serves, a few female figures. His wife and his children (particularly his daughter) often modeled for him.
I’ve always been fond of his illustration as well as his paintings… I think I like that he defied categorization. His influences were varied and his style was unique. I think his work often appeals to people who do not necessarily have any particular fondness for the more ethereal themes his paintings depicted.
Marisa – great information, thank you! I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever seen one of his works in person. Are they enormous, the originals?
These are so dreamy and beautiful. Every time I see Parrish I think of two things: the print of the Dawn one in my aunt’s living room at her old apartment (I can still picture it on the wall adjacent to the piano where she taught), and a funny story about two of my cousins.
My late cousin J. was a wonderful artist and writer, and one Christmas his sister L. asked him what she should get him. He told L., “A Parrish calendar.” When Christmas morning came and J. opened L.’s present to him, it was a calendar from St. P’s, their church. J. was confused and L. said, “Didn’t you ask me for a PARISH calendar?”
Marisa–thanks for all that info! I love going to PAFA. I was just thinking of making plans to visit this summer!
It is the light in Parrish illustrations. I’ve seen that light, and I’m so happy someone has managed to commit it so well to canvas.
I have a framed book plate from Prince Agib (http://www.rare-posters.com/p1651.html) hanging in a little nook over a bookcase. The colors in it perfectly match a small reverse-painted lamp that sets on top of the case. It’s my favorite little spot in the house.
Maxfield Parrish! In the house on Creighton street (the shanty by the river that I shared with Abby, Allie, Susan, and JJ) there was a big Maxfield parrish in this little alcove in the living room. There was a light in the alcove that you could dim and we used to turn it off and slowly turn it on and it REALLY looked like the sun was rising in the picture (it was Dawn waking a beautiful boy). Oh, I’m sorry, didn’t you mention the word psychedelic and “druggy”? yes, perhaps there was some of that invovled…
Jean- hahahahahahahahahahaha Oh, college days!!
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