Flat, Simple and Funny

Charley Harper's Illustrations

It is always a pleasure to find an innovative artist who eschews the avant-garde mentality. Charley Harper (1922-2007) made his first claim to fame when he illustrated The Golden Book of Biology, and The Animal Kingdom. Although not pure realism, his illustrations are nonetheless realistic. He calls his work "minimal realism" and he describes it as "flat, simple and funny."

I think they are more than that, with a certain charm, rhythm, and a story to them.

Birch, Bark and Birds

Double Lucky

Octoberama

Trumpeter Swan

Migration Mainline, Cape May

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Vogue Cover Illustrations

The Legacy of Aubrey Beardsley

Aubrey Beardsley lived a short life of twenty five years. His drawings, many used to illustrated books and posters, had a sense of foreboding about them, often with androgynous figures with cruel expressions. Kenneth Clark, the art critic and writer says that Beardsley knew about Evil.

His many illustrated books included: Oscar Wilde’s play “Salomé”, an art an literary magazine called “The Yellow Book” of which he was the art editor, and Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock”.




Close to his death (due to tuberculosis) he converted to Catholicism and died at the very end of the nineteenth century.




These Condé Nast Publications for Vogue Magazine covers reminded me of Beardsley’s illustrations. Most of them are from the turn of the twentieth century (1912-15). Beardsley’s beautiful (but disturbing) illustrations have found their true place. Decorating the women he tried so much to put in a favorable light.

Beardsley Illustrations: From top
The Black cape; Cover design for Smithers catalogue of rare books; Isolde; La Dame aux camelias; The peacock skirt.

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