Coy Ludwig

Interesting account of Parrish's life, work, methods, and context. His masterpiece, "Daybreak" - fine art in 1922, and the most popular art print of the 20th century (often cited as "one for every four American homes") - counts as kiddie-porn in today's climate of anxiety: the naked girl is his daughter Jean, who was eleven years old. Here in the 21st century, not only could he not sell that to the American public, he'd have to do some fancy talking to keep himself out of jail.

Times show more change.

(Parrish sold the original for $10,000; and made something like $150,000 in print royalties in the first three years. In the '20s.)

Fun Fact: the reclining girl in "Daybreak" is Kitty Owen, William Jennings Bryan's granddaughter (!), and seems to also be about 11. show less

My parents tell me that long before I learned to read, I loved the prints of Parrish's work collected in this book. However my tastes changed as I grew up, these images still entrances me. The artist portrayed both human figures and landscapes with layers of light and focused details that caught my imagination. As a teenager, I finally read the book itself and learned a bit about the artist's life, his techniques, and his place in art history. While that content is fine, the prints of the show more artist's work remain the obvious highlights of this volume. show less

A comprehensive survey of the artist's work, it covers not just his paintings, but also his posters, advertising and magazine and book illustration and the murals. Very well illustrated and with a comprehensive text it chronicles the artist's development and his vast array of work.

One of the most interesting chapters is that which explains in detail the methods Parrish employed to achieve his remarkable results. This includes his use of photography and the painstaking glazing techniques he show more employed.

A very interesting and useful publication; it is not one that sits idly on my book shelf. show less

A beautifully illustrated art collection and history of Maxfield Parrish, one of my favorite artists. Includes a chronology and biography, and artwork from book illustrations to landscapes.