Visions of Adventure: N. C. Wyeth and the Brandywine Artists [Hardcover]

John Edward Dell (Editor), Walt Reed (Collaborator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2000

As famous in their day as the authors whose stories they illustrated, the six artists profiled in this nostalgic collection-N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Harvey Dunn, Frank Schoonover, Philip R. Goodwin and Dean Cornwell-used their unique talents at narrative depiction to bring to life places and times in ways no modern medium has surpassed. Vividly reproduced directly from the original paintings that illustrated the pages of popular books and magazines of up to a century ago, many of the pictures are seen here for the first time, just as the artists painted them. The paintings presented in this handsome volume lured readers to the exciting adventure tales of buccaneers and cowboys, hunters and outlaws, pirate fiction and historical romance written by Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, James Branch Cabell, and other favored writers of the day. Although commissioned to illustrate the written word, these storytelling works of art can stand alone. No text is needed to understand the drama of Howard Pyle's Dead Men Tell No Tales, N. C. Wyeth's The Magic Pool, Frank Schoonover's A Northern Mist, and the dozens of other captivating paintings presented here.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Earlier in the previous century, adventure novels by such writers as Raphael Sabatini, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and James Branch Cabell needed illustrations to describe the action and locales. Inspired by demand, Howard Pyle, artist and author, founded the Brandywine School in Wilmington, DE, later moving it to Chadds Ford, PA, and naming it for the river that ran through the towns. His purpose was to groom artists as illustrators to meet the growing demand created by these stories, books, and, later, sportsmen's ads. This collection looks at six of the artists: Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, Harvey Dunn, Frank Schoonover, Philip Goodwin, and Dean Cornwell. Though trained in the East, these determined artists traveled widely to help make their work more authentic, and much of the enjoyment here lies in the themes they typically explored: chivalry, pirates, Native Americans, and the frontier. With accompanying essays by ten different scholars of the school, the 45 illustrations featured are lush in color and stunning in four gatefolds. There are brief biographies of each artist with a select bibliography. Strongly recommended for all collections.DJoseph Hewgley, Nashville P.L.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications; First Edition edition (May 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823056082
• ISBN-13: 978-0823056088
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #922,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visions of Adventure: N.C. Wyeth and the Brandywine Artists, June 17, 2000

By 

Gregory S. Garson (Jacksonville, Fl.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visions of Adventure: N. C. Wyeth and the Brandywine Artists (Hardcover)

Incredible collection of paintings and the stories that go along with them. Colorful with spectacular detail of the famous paintings of a time gone by. Amazing how the author was able to put together a collection of this magnitude. A must have for anyone who appreciates art. It is perfect as a gift to that special person you care about.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surveys the arts of N.C. Wyeth and the Brandywine artists, April 28, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visions of Adventure: N. C. Wyeth and the Brandywine Artists (Hardcover)

Visions Of Adventure surveys the arts of N.C. Wyeth and the Brandywine artists, providing a lavish display packed with color plates and paintings by Pyle, Wyeth, Dunn, and others. Histories and backgrounds of each featured work accompany the fold-out and full-page illustrations and make for an excellent review. Highly recommended.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books on American Artists / Illustrators, July 31, 2001

By 

John F. Barrows "cre8visn" (The California Coast) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Visions of Adventure: N. C. Wyeth and the Brandywine Artists (Hardcover)

This book covers very well some of the most important people in American History. N.C. Wyeth,Howard Pyle, Dean Cornwell,Harvey Dunn, Frank Schoonover and Philip Goodwin have illustrated the turn of the 1800's to 1900's with the same spirited passion that bred our great country. It's this great passion that is given to the pictures that they created that seperates their work from photographs which are just taken. Looking at the Illustrations shows you that Pyle was successful in creating an American art which will always be a foundation for Illustrators to follow.