Saturday, June 22, 2013

Thoughts of Spring: André François New Yorker Cover Art

This rather unconventional artwork for the cover of The New Yorker is by André François. It is executed on a burlap bag in charcoal and oil. It was published in the spring of 1963. Although one is struck by the rough appearance of the illustration, particularly the central face, this unfinished quality successfully places the emphasis on the man's thoughts, which are decidedly not at his office desk.

The New Yorker, of course, had the luxury of a subscription-based readership. Newsstand sales were not paramount among the magazines concerns. Cover blurbs were nonexistent and thoughtful cover artwork was always welcomed. More than a decade after this, François was to use a rectangle of unfinished wood with applied feathers as the medium for another unconventional New Yorker cover illustration.

André François
Original artwork for The New Yorker, April 20, 1963

André François
The New Yorker, April 20, 1963
http://www.illustrationhouses.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/exhib/a45/a45pages/a45_063.html




André François
La tête fleurie
Image added May 4, 2019


Note:  It's been more than a year since my last post about André François. I must be losing my touch. 

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