It's so interesting to see the process by which Arthur Getz transformed his painting of a boy skipping rocks on the water into a New Yorker cover. The preliminary version sold in 2012 at Nadeau's Auction Gallery was originally offered for sale at the Hammer Gallery in 1966, the very year of the magazine cover. It is a gorgeous painting set in a lush wooded area near a pond. The reflections in the water help to give the image a great depth. The boy is shown following through on his toss as the stone he has thrown leaves three distinct sets of ripples, getting progressively larger toward the viewer. That makes the perspective work convincingly, even if it might not be strictly correct. Shouldn't the ripples closer to the boy have had more time to expand? Perhaps, but then to the viewer's eye it probably wouldn't look right.
The published cover illustration has introduced a number of changes to the composition, at least some quite possibly editorial in nature. There are four sets of ripples now, less regular in their expansion, yet the boy is closer to the viewer, making him more immediate to the image at the expense of both depth and perspective. The wooded area is treated more abstractly and most of the reflected light on the water is eliminated. The end-result is a more intimate view of an idle summer moment, now with a slightly greater emphasis on the boy and his carefree activity than on the magnificent setting.
Note: Phew! “The Art of Arthur Getz: City & Country” is still on view at the Hotchkiss Library in Sharon, CT. It was set to close yesterday, but the show has been reprieved until mid-August.
www.hotchkisslibrary.org
My thanks to Sarah Getz for her thoughtful feedback during the preparation of this post.
The published cover illustration has introduced a number of changes to the composition, at least some quite possibly editorial in nature. There are four sets of ripples now, less regular in their expansion, yet the boy is closer to the viewer, making him more immediate to the image at the expense of both depth and perspective. The wooded area is treated more abstractly and most of the reflected light on the water is eliminated. The end-result is a more intimate view of an idle summer moment, now with a slightly greater emphasis on the boy and his carefree activity than on the magnificent setting.
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| Arthur Getz Preliminary art The New Yorker, August 27, 1966 |
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| Arthur Getz Nadeau's Auction Gallery Item Description |
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| Arthur Getz The New Yorker, August 27, 1966 |
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| Arthur Getz Preliminary art The New Yorker, August 27, 1966 |
www.hotchkisslibrary.org
There's yet more Getz to see at “Covering New York: New Yorker Magazine Covers by Arthur Getz.” The show is now on view at the Moviehouse Studio Gallery located at the Moviehouse in Millerton, NY. Through August 28.
My thanks to Sarah Getz for her thoughtful feedback during the preparation of this post.
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