Penfield's European stay ends with his visit to Spain. The quality of the drawings and reproduction of two pieces, Between Towns in Spain, Scribner's for October 1906; and Spanish Impressions, Scribner's for October 1907 suffer when seen after the splendid work done in Holland. I include here only one illustration, from the 1906 issue, because I think it shows how much one's surroundings influence an illustrator's work. I feel certain that he was probably overwhelmed by the paintings he saw of the Spanish greats, such as Velasquez, Goya, and Greco to name just a few. The illustration above and the enlargement below suggest to me that he wanted to work in a new and more painterly manner. It was also a little sloppy with a poorly painted background. What made Penfield great was his mastery of design as well as illustration, one an important counterpoint to the other. This technique finds him at a loss of control and conviction. It should help to convince illustrators struggling with their development and style that they are often better off to stay with the style they know best and with which they are more comfortable.
Good point, Katherine. Artists shouldn't copy themselves and should continue to experiment, but that doesn't mean everything has to be published. I think that in this case, Scribner's had no choice but to print.
Posted by: giam | October 21, 2004 at 09:47 AM
If artists only stay with what they know, doesn't that stifle an outlet creativity?
Posted by: Katherine | October 20, 2004 at 06:18 PM