April 11, 2011

J.C. Leyendecker - Part 5

Another thing I love about the art of J.C. Leyendecker are those graphic and architectural design elements he incorporates into his paintings, particularly his Post covers. Just look at the wonderful rendering of this fleur-de-lis flourish from an Easter Post cover...


...or this chiseled scroll...


 ...you could crack an egg on those things! Leyendecker used many scrolls in his covers and no artist at the time could come close to designing and rendering one like him.

Aside from his “Arrow Collar Man”, Leyendecker was the first artist to use a baby as a symbol for a new year and an old man as the symbol for an old year. An iconic standard still with us today.


Which brings me to the one knock that some folks put on Leyendecker's art. Some say that his figures are a little too stiff or iconographic, and not human enough.


I somewhat agree, but that has always been overshadowed for me by his fantastic rendering skills.

One final post about J.C. Leyendecker to come next time!

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