When he was asked whether he ever had the desire, as have had so many illustrators, to go in for what is known as 'straight painting,' Dean Cornwell replied:
"It is love of romance that makes Americans the greatest readers of fiction, and producers of the greatest number of films. That is one reason why I would rather be an illustrator than do so-called straight painting. I appeal to this spirit in thousands of people, whereas if I painted a picture and showed in an exhibition, and if it were lucky enough to be bought, only a few people would see it."
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"Dean Cornwell: Factor in a New Art" article by Helen Appleton Read in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1924, from Fulton History.
2 comments:
And yet Cornwell devoted an immense amount of time and effort into becoming known as a muralist, which he seems to have felt was a loftier calling than being an illustrator. The audience for a mural isn't as limited as that of a gallery painting, but it's still far smaller than the mass audience of illustration. This statement was still comparatively early in Cornwell's career, though. Perhaps he changed his mind after a few more years of slaving for the magazines.
This is an outstanding sentiment and a great response to "art vs illustration." Bravo.
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