New Leyendecker book
Written by Kelly on November 2nd, 2008
I picked this up over the weekend, so here’s a quick review:
There are very few decent collections of J C Leyendecker’s art. He’s one of the masters from the Golden Age of illustration, and had great influence on the better-known Norman Rockwell. Personally I think Leyendecker is superior in the medium, his technique is more graphic and confident, employing unique cross-hatching strokes, although his characters are less endearing than Rockwell’s.
This book has numerous large reproductions of finished works as well as some nice sketches and studies. I’d like to see as a follow-up a collection just for the studies actually, as was done for Mucha. The text lacks detail on Leyendecker’s process, focusing instead on his personal life with some rather reaching statements. The reproductions of all his Post covers are small and muddy, but the full-page prints are all well balanced and crisp. There’s also a large spread that’s not from the original, but a counterfeit copy. Despite the flaws, this book is the best source for Leyendecker’s art and a very worthwhile investment.
J.C. Leyendecker by Lawrence and Judy Cutler. 256 pages, hardcover, full color. Available from Amazon or your local independent bookstore.
3
PM
Oh Man o man. I just got this book too and am thoroughly impressed. I’m amazed at his sense of weight and mass, and his capacity for design is unparalleled. Hopefully this means we’ll be seeing more of his work published.
15
AM
Kelly – Love your website. FYI & regarding the new Leyendecker book: There are actually more than just the one fake painting on pages 98-99. The painting in the upper-right hand corner of page 75 has also been identified as a phony. It is easily compared to the B&W image in Michael Schau’s book of 1974. As you know, the original Arrow Collar advertisements do not lie and the tearsheet collectors are all over this book. Google Search “leyendecker phony” and you will be amazed at how people are reacting.
You identified the “reaching statements” also. That might be an understatement Kelly. Judy and Laurence Cutler overstepped the boundaries with their casual comments on J. C. Leyendecker’s sexual orientation and lifestyle.
Their biographical essay is littered with fiction – details are fabricated merely for entertainment value. Leyendecker fans have waited a long time for a comprehensive and accurate book on his life, it’s too bad a reader is subjected to this inaccurate accounting of Leyendecker’s life. Instead of inventing details and manufacturing JCL’s life events, the Cutlers should have reached out to the many scholars who have professionally researched this artist’s life. I am sure you agree.
Gil Passon