I had always thought that many illustrators from the past got nothing like the attention they deserved so I decided to make some videos about a few of these almost forgotten talents.
The unsung heroes series was originally intended to be about illustrators from what's known as the golden age of illustration. But I soon realised that meant ignoring many early 20th century illustrators who strictly speaking didn't fit that description.
So I compromised and ended up with parameters of those born between 1850 and 1910.
There are also videos about individual illustrators who are personal favourites of mine, mostly but not exclusively from the early 20th century.
And there are a range of others on various aspects of illustration, such as children's books, advertising, art deco or a certain historical period. If it's illustration then it has my interest. And I very much hope it has yours, too.
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Thank you, glad I found this channel
When I was at St Martins in the 70's studying fashion I was much influenced by Beardsley and Kay Nielsen and I spent many hours in the V&A studying the Gazette du Bon Ton illustrations. I collect illustrations 'pochoirs' from the Gazette, they are relatively affordable. Other students were in love with Mucha and Klimt and I preferred Kokoshka and Schiele as well as the aforementioned. I had a horrible design teacher who really didn't like me and would always criticise my constant change of illustration design. One day she said in her fake haughty voice when seeing my many designs ' WHy did you draw them on blooody horses' ! I thought it fun to explore techniques, she didn't ! Didn't stop me, much to her chagrin, being first in class !
Great job as usual! It’s nice to see this video because he is not well known abroad. I wonder if you have encountered the work of Duilio Cambellotti, which spans illustration, fine art and design.
Definately one of the great unsung heroes of comics. I enjoy all the work you put into your videos but this one in particular drew me back to my youth as I recognised this mans work while never having known his name. Kudos friend.
Back in the days you could earn enough through illustration to buy land and build an estate on it !
It might tickle you to know that W. W. Denslow - the first illustrator of the Wizard of Oz - made so much he bought an island in Bermuda and built a mansion on it. There are others from this time too. I was just grateful to be able to pay the bills.
What a bewildering multitude of styles, each exquisite in its own right. Not one of the images was familiar to me - my loss! Thank you for putting the spotlight on him.
A bit OT but I was unable to find any mention of American illustrator Virginia Frances Sterrett on your channel. Do you have meta tags that I could search? Thx
Hello - she appeared in unsung heroes of illustration 11. If you put that in a youtube search you'll find it. Sorry its not longer - there isn't that much to be had by or about her.
Beautifully made video with a gracious amount of care and detail. Thank you for making these !
Many thanks for your appreciation of my efforts and the work that goes into making these videos.
Pete, found your music while watching your unsung videos, love all of it. Thank you for the inspiration to create.
Thanks a lot for your comment, and particularly as it's about my few musical offerings. They don't get many views and that's why I stopped making them in favour of the illustration videos. It's nice to be appreciated.
What a master of light and shade. And as others have said here, a great selection of music on your part too. Danke. Cheers from cloudy Vienna, Scott
Thanks a lot as always. As I was reading your comment I was in the middle of making a sequence about a Viennese illustrator, Mila Von Lüttich. I wonder if she's represented in any galleries there.
Another great post. As a collector of old magazines and pulp fiction covers it's wonderful to learn about these obscure artists who remain anonymous without your peerless research. Thanks Pete.
Your appreciation of my efforst with the channel is very welcome, thanks a lot.
Your channel is like a box full of favourite chocolates, with the quandary: which to choose? Dipping in every so often brings invariably unexpected delights. Adolf Hengele, for instance, (yet again a name I did not know) produced drawings very reminiscent of those of Wilhelm Busch - and even his lovely paintings carry a Busch-like quality. Great, as always
What a lovely analogy, and one I will treasure.It's particularly pleasing when a viewer clearly understands what the unsung heroes series is intended to be. As with those chocolates it would be unrealistic to expect everyone to like every illustrator featured - I certainly don't. It's to celebrate the diversity that lies at the heart of these little collections.
Mervyn is a genius.
No argument from me on that score. Thanks for the comment.
What a talent! His composures are mind blowing!
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation of his work.
His art is very similar the art of Virginia Frances Sterrett. Of course she was lesser known but the art is very similar.
Thanks a lot for your comment, and the comparison is a valid one. But the influence travelled very much in the other direction as he came before her. You may not be aware that she features in unsung heroes 11. I would have liked to give her a video to herself but there just isn't enough material to do so.
Outstanding edition, Pete! Thank you. Briggs was a monster talent, for sure.
Thanks for the comment, and I'm pleased you appreciate his work.
Thank you! I always loved Heath Robinson machines but never knew he was so brilliant at other forms of illustration.
... in which case I'm delighted to have introduced you to all his other work. Thanks for the comment.
Your honor! She won't stop saying it!
I have absolutely no idea what you mean.
Wow! New artist for me - phenomenal! Wonderful music and narration - thank you
Many thanks for your favourable response to this video.
It may well be the fate of many illustrators that the images they produced are very familiar, but one is not aware of the artist's name. Certainly, for me, this is the case with Kley. Seen those illustrations often, never knew the artist. Thank you
That does seem to be a syndrome with quite a few of the illustrators I feature. Thanks for the comment.
An AMAZING artist. Thank you for this outstanding video, well-documented, and filled with thoughtful analysis.
Many thanks for your appreciation of my efforts.
goo-awsh? I always thought gouache was pronounced gwash.
Only in the USA and some other colonies. In Britain we pronounce it correctly.
Another delightful selection of interesting illustrations. You also choose the musical background with impeccable taste. Giving information and making the process fun - you do it so well
Many thanks for your favourable comment.
You know, Pete, a lot of us could be forgiven for feeling that since Andy Warhol and his contemporaries, art had been funnelled down to mostly the likes of Tracey Emin, Damian Hurst, Banksy, etc. It's been a relief to the soul to watch these videos, and find those worthless poops all along drowned in an ocean of wonderful art we knew nothing of. Thanks for the rescue! Obrigado.
Thanks a lot for your comment. And it's good to hear from someone who shares my own low opinion of the bunch of charlatans currently masquerading as artists.
Fantastic artist and graphic designer. His compositions and typography are excellent. Love his styles. Thank you for the video and enlightenment.
Thanks for your comment, and it's my pleasure to bring these talented people from the past to a wider audience.
Clever artist ❤
Thanks - I'm glad you appreciate his work.
OMG! Loved this one ! Not only the (familiar) illustrations, but your writing and story telling. Bravo! a g a i n !
...and another very welcome comment from you. It really is good to know.
1:40 It´s so strange to see a comic working with two different text in the same panel: the one of the dialogue ballons, and the one under the picture. It´s like reading two stories of the same characters at the same time, althought it´s the same.
Thanks for your comment. It's something all British comics did at that time. The idea was that it made them more educational - like picture books. But we dropped it eventually.
@@petebeard Thanks.
I love your channel. Wonderful.
Music to my ears. Thanks a lot.
Pete, thanks for this expose of another great illustrator whose excellent work I may have otherwise missed.
My pleasure to introduce viewers to these under-appreciated talents. Thanks.
A delightful and distinctive style~
Thabks a lot for your comment, and continuing interest.
Your series never fails to entertain.
Many thanks for your favourable comment. very welcome.
One of the few illustrators I recognize. But had no idea of his history, struggles or demise. You've given me so much more to study and enjoy. LOVE his work! I'll watch this repeatedly. Tnx!
Thanks Mike, and repeat viewings are something I wish more viewers would indulge in.
Pete, Hi!.... today, cloudly saturday, with my son Stefano, we've been visiting Cap Ferrat, at Sitges and I've just talking about you and your KZread videos with a photographer who are presenting a very special exposition.....
Hello again and Sitges is a town I really like. We have been there a couple of times. And thanks for spreading the word about my channel.
Iconic for those who were alive in that era, certainly, who paid especial attention to artwork in media back then. I immediately fell into many of these illustrations, somewhere in my brain recognizing the style if not the subject matter. Though must confess I prefer his later abstract style? It displayed his same intensity to 'get it right' but with a new vision. Or maybe it's because I've become more abstract as I age. :D Loved seeing the preliminaries, as always! An extraordinary talent, I'm so glad he was able to become successful, leaving lots to offer those in training to hopefully replicate as they gain their own footing. I'd have appreciated seeing these back in school, I know that much. Thanks as always, Pete!
Hello again and thanks as usual for your continuing appreciation of the channel content. I too found it interesting how his style became looser but more individualistic and expressive.
as an artist, not only did this guy definingly use photographs, he traced! what i dont like about his later 1940s stuff is it seems like he relied too much on photos and he lost the soul.
but damn that vietnam stuff is beautiful, seems like he learned to find art again
Another fantastic installment, thank you Mr. Beard
Your appreciation is very welcome. Thanks.
Thanks!
My pleasure.
Thank you for including Pieck's work. It gave me goose bumps to briefly see De Eftling where my family took me several times as a kid in the Netherlands in the 1970s. 😍 As always every episode is an education for us, it's a wonderful channel that in the future should be preserved for art education.
Thanks once more for your continuing appreciation, and among others I'm considering adding Pieck to the terrifyingly long list of oillustrators waiting for a solo video. He deserves one, for sure.
Another wonderful video. I was familiar with the big names here, but most were new to me. As a musician, I especially appreciated the very appropriate selection of background music. The piece accompanying the "early illustration" chapter, _Browning_ or _The Leaves Be Green_ by William Byrd is very familiar to me, it being a favorite of many gamba consorts that I played in. Thanks again. Cheers from rainy Vienna, Scott
Thanks as usual, and because of the constraints of copyright I struggled then and cntinue to do so now to find even remotely usable music. So it's particularly rewarding when a viewer comments on it favourably. I'm a bit embarrassed now, though - I should have used exclusively French tunes.
Nice one, Pete! Great video. His use of the figure compositionally is fantastic. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for your appreciation, and admiration for this illustrator's immense talent.
Another educational & entertaining film. the music and compilation wereexcellent.
Thanks a lot. I try to be both entertaining and educational so it's good to know you think I succeed in this modest ambition.
I love your covering the comics like this one. And I know you cover mostly English illustrators but would you consider checking into some lesser known American comics artists. I am thinking of one in particular that is little known these days. It is Jimmy Hatlo who was very popular in the 50’s over here. I collect his Little Iodine comics when I can find them and enjoy his humor very much. He also had a strip called THEY WILL DO IT EVERY TIME. I hope you will give it some consideration. Thank you.
Hello again and I have covered quite a few American comic artists and cartoonists in the unsung heroes series. In most cases the reason they are confined to such short tributes is the general lack of decent material and information available. Mr. Hatlo himself has already appeared in unsung heroes 80. Unsung 100 has a complete list of all who have featured so far so you can find particular illustrators of interest.
Thank you. I have not been keeping up as before. I reckon I have to go back to begin again. Thank you for letting me know.
Such entertaining and educational posts. Thank you.
Thanks for your appreciation.
Briggs work remembered me an exclamation - pretending to be a kind of admiration sense - of a young man - seeing an illustator making art - who said: " it's fabulous! Seems a photography!". The young man never knew that his words are far away of an "admiration" meaning! Great, another great video of a giant artist. Thanks Pete!
Hello again and thanks as usuak for your appreciation and comments. I hope you are enjoying life in the sun.
I don't know if this violates the KZread Community Guidelines, but this is what I want to say here: Like many with me, I am again very grateful that you brought to our attention the existence of such GIANTS of the Illustration world of the last century! Indeed, as an adolescent, I owned one of those wonderful editions of Flash Gordon, which I unfortunately lost and in the years that followed, I very often wondered who exactly was the illustrator of Flash Gordon and thanks to You I now know.
On the Flash Gorodn Wiki I read: He was an assistant to Alex Raymond on the Flash Gordon comic strip, and was the first artist/writer on the Flash Gordon daily strip, from 1940 to 1944. In 1944, Briggs also took over the Sunday strips.
I'm not sure how you think your comment might meet with didapproval from my masters, but either way I'm immensely grateful for it. It's a good feeling to know that viewers such as yourself welcome the content. If you haven't seen it there's a feature on Alex Raymond in unsung heroes 20.
This was truly an artist of the 20th century! He could have given Rockwell a run for his money, and then there are also the line drawings and sketches! I loved the way he highlighted and set the mood with his cross-hatching. One thing that struck me: it all looks so......familiar! And then I realized I have been seeing artwork like this for my entire life (yes, I was born in 1960)...
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation of Briggs's remarkable talent.
Thanks Peter. I love your brief and heartfelt presentations.
Many thanks for your appreciation - always a welcome tonic.
Nicely done, as always!
Thanks a lot. It's good to know the channel is appreciated.
thank you sir.
My pleasure.