Haddon Sundblom

[Kyle Henry]

I have found studying the early American illustrators to be a continuation of the likes of Sargent, Zorn, Sorolla, Chase, etc.

In the early twentieth century, it was American illustrators who were passed the torch by the great painters of the nineteenth century. While fine art took a nose dive into fads of self-expression, the illustrators kept the tradition of representational art. Haddon Sundblom's work, best known for his Santa for Coca-Cola, embodies the same spirit of direct painting and bravado as the likes of Sargent and Zorn.

I have found it very educational to study his work, because I have found working methods, materials and samples of studies to help explain some of the mysteries behind these great paintings.

I also highly recommend the study of James Montgomery Flagg, Everett Raymond Kinstler's teacher.

The great portrait painter, Joe Bowler, was himself an illustrator in the forties through the sixties.

Now, the torch of representational art has been passed back to the fine artists. The illustrators are now exploring what the fine art world has discovered as nothing more than sad social commentaries and a disregard for tradition.