Just in case you aren’t convinced yet that Gustaf Tenggren is one of the most amazing children’s book illustrators of all time, here are three more persuasive arguments. These two books were published in 1923 and 1924, a very busy period for Tenggren. He had recently relocated to New York City, and he illustrated no less than eight books in a very short period of time. Make sure to click through the links to our other Tenggren posts at the bottom of this article to see more of his beautiful work.
This book, Small Fry and the Winged Horse was first published in 1927. Notice how confident and swift his brushstrokes are… how well he conveys the texture of foliage, fabric, fur and the sea… and how clear and interesing his compositions are. His expressions and body poses are always full of life, particularly when he is depicting children.
Lines and Colors posted a nice feature on Tenggren this week.
Stephen Worth
Director
Animation Resources
This posting is part of a series of articles comprising an online exhibit spotlighting Illustration.