Art

Charles Dana Gibson and Howard Pyle have both exceeded the norm in their time. Howard Pyle has been deemed The Father of American Illustrators while Charles Dana Gibson has changed the standard of beauty with the image of the Gibson girl.

The artist Howard Pyle who has lived from 1853-1911 has been considered the father of American illustrator. Howard Pyle has always wanted to be an author and an artist ever since he was a kid and he did become one eventually his illustration, drawing and books have been considered classics today and are still as exciting as they were then, his creations are still being admired even after his death.

Howard Pyle was not always as good as he was there was also a time when Howard Pyles illustration looked ordinary and plain, the illustrations looked like they had been taken from the front row of a play. The illustration that he drew back then looked like it was staged you can see the flat surface that is similar to the stage used for performing and the people he drew looked as if they were staged or acting it was very unreal, far from what he was known for.

Howard Pyle first published his illustrations and writings in weekly magazines among the weekly magazines he has published his worked for is Scribners, Harpers, McClures and Colliers. He was known to give photos a realistic edge. An example would be the first illustration he made for Scribners weekly, the scenario were two men fighting on the edge of a rock and another guy watching the fight in the illustration, you can almost not see the ground, the effect of it being in a stage is gone, the intensity of the faces in the photo shows character and how they feel, not staged and fake. When Howard Pyle uses color, he uses rich earth tones against bright primaries that is framed in a thick shadow.

Later on, Howard Pyle taught illustrations in Drexel Institute of Arts and Science in Philadelphia, he taught what he knows, making sure the student he taught would surpass what he has done in terms of art. Among his students is Harvey Dunn and even when Pyle died, Dunn was still inspired by his instructor. A technique that Howard Pyle passed among his students was the drama that he emphasized in his illustrations. The tension of the scenes and how un-prop-like everything was.

Howard Pyle was not only known for being an illustrator, many of his books are now considered classics, and the most famous set of book he had written was probably the story about King Arthur. The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, The Story of the Champions of the Round Table, The Story of Lancelot and His Companions, and The Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur are all written by Howard and illustrated by him.

Charles Dana Gibson is an American graphic artist, one of his best known works is the Gibson Girl. Charles Dana Gibson first studied arts in the Art Students League in Manhattan the Art Students League has catered a lot of artist and among those who graduated in the Art Students League was Herman Rappaport, an American painter and artist best known for his paintings of cityscapes. He then attended the Julians in Paris, one of the best known schools that cater to arts.

Charles Dana Gibsons first pen and ink sketches went to John Ames Mitchells Life Magazine. Life Magazine, which was then a newcomer in the business, liked what Charles Dana Gibson have offered and never stopped publishing him for over 30 years. The first pan and ink caricature he made was a dog chained in doghouse howling at the moon. John Ames Mitchell called his work honest and courageous. After John Ames Mitchell died, he became the owner and the editor of the magazine.

Punk, the rival magazine of Life, also offered him a feature once in a while. Life magazine was not the only magazine Charles Dana Gibson was featured in, he was also featured in the various magazines like Harpers, Scribners and Colliers Weekly.

Charles Dana Gibsons illustrations mostly feature caricatures of the chronicle of American high society in New York and Boston, the old aristocratic families that mingle with each other, excluding the newcomers. Charles Dana Gibson as said is best known for his portrayal of the Gibson Girl. The best description of the Charles Dana Gibsons Gibson girl came from Susan E. Meyer she said that  Charles Dana Gibsons Gibson Girl was taller than the other girls and has more spirit and independence, but also feminine. The Gibson Girl can be considered the highlight of his career.

Charles Dana Gibson and Howard Pyle both started at the bottom of the pack, but redoing and further enhancing their skills proved that they can be better and they can lead the pack in terms of art. Charles Dana Gibson and Howard Pyle have both published their work in famous weekly magazines like Harpers and Scribners weekly.

Although the methods which the two artists used differ like how Charles Dana Gibson uses his illustration for set notice to what is happening around us and Howard Pyle uses his illustrations to emphasize drama in the scene, both artist can be considered great at what they do.

Charles Dana Gibson do not often use color when making his caricatures, Howard Pyle on the other hand did use color in his painting he uses rich earth tones and emphasizes the drama in his painting. Upon looking at the painting of Howard Pyle, you will notice the deep shadowing to intensify the scene Howard wants viewers to focus on.

While Charles Dana Gibson concentrated in making caricatures for magazines, Howard Pyle made illustrations for books. Both Charles Dana Gibson and Howard Pyle are not restricted in drawing formal style art, their illustrations always contained emotions.

Charles Dana Gibson was known for changing the norms in drawing caricature, he was even known for changing what the ideal girl should be by portraying the Gibson Girl while Howard Pyle became famous for being the innovator of dramatic scenes, bringing out the depth of the painting. Both artists used pen and ink more than anything else they were both successful and has both proven that they lead the pack when it comes to art.

Charles Dana Gibsons and Howard Pyles work and life tells us that all artists start at the bottom and with a little persistence all can become better. When Charles Dana Gibson and Howard Pyle started their career, almost no one would take in their drawings even if they graduated from prestigious schools without their hard work they would probably be nothing. At one time, Charles Dana Gibsons work was even called amateur and senseless it was only John Ames Mitchell who believed in him. Howard Pyles work was called plain and staged, but he proved them wrong when he was published by magazines and showed the crowd that he can be something.

The Golden Age did not only help these artists, but also because of it, a lot of artists have been able to get a grasp of the new techniques they were using. Charles Dana Gibson and Howard Pyle never kept the secret of their techniques they continued to teach their techniques and passed their skills to their students.
Applying the techniques of color and dramatization of Howard Pyle can be applied to future works, and the techniques in sketching Charles Dana Gibson used to portray the Gibson Girl will also be a big help to a striving artist even in modern times.