THE WATERCOLORS OF JOHN GANNAM
Some illustrators, such as Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper, went on to become famous in "fine art" circles for their amazing watercolors. John Gannam (1907 - 1965) remained an illustrator but his watercolors were still amazing.
Gannam's paintings adorned stories in popular magazines for many years. He also painted a popular series of advertisements for sheets and blankets.
Neither Winslow Homer nor Edward Hopper could hold a candle to Gannam when it came to portraying the deep emotional relationship between a housewife and her new blanket.
But don't be fooled. Look closely and you will see the work of a serious and accomplished watercolorist.
Many of Gannam's paintings were published in cropped form, accompanied by intrusive headlines and graphics like these:
But when you look at the originals, you see Gannam's mastery at work:
Little details like this row of flowers demonstrate how Gannam kept looking hard all the time. Gannam didn't use a rote formula or lapse into photorealistic tracing.
These watercolors could fit quite comfortably on the same wall with the work of Homer and Hopper.
Gannam's paintings adorned stories in popular magazines for many years. He also painted a popular series of advertisements for sheets and blankets.
Neither Winslow Homer nor Edward Hopper could hold a candle to Gannam when it came to portraying the deep emotional relationship between a housewife and her new blanket.
But don't be fooled. Look closely and you will see the work of a serious and accomplished watercolorist.
Many of Gannam's paintings were published in cropped form, accompanied by intrusive headlines and graphics like these:
But when you look at the originals, you see Gannam's mastery at work:
Little details like this row of flowers demonstrate how Gannam kept looking hard all the time. Gannam didn't use a rote formula or lapse into photorealistic tracing.
These watercolors could fit quite comfortably on the same wall with the work of Homer and Hopper.
