Maxfield Parrish

Research on Maxfield Parrish can focus on either his life or biography or the research can study his works of art that have become symbols of an era. The art writers at Paper Masters will help you learn all you need to know about any artist when you custom order a project on a specific artist such as Maxfield Parrish.

A prominent artist during the first half of the 20th century, Maxfield Parrish created works of art that are rich in color and often contain themes found in classic artwork. Some of his greatest works can be found in illustrations of children's books, including traditional stories like "Arabian Nights" and anthologies like "Poems of Childhood," as well as in various magazines, including "Life" and "Collier's." He also created artwork to be used in advertising campaigns for companies like Wanamaker's and Colgate, though he would abandon these projects in favor of paintings by the 1920s. As a painter, Parrish would move through a variety of styles and subjects, starting with murals and scenes out of fantasy worlds and ultimately moving to landscapes.

In terms of his technical style, Parrish set himself apart from his contemporaries through his vivid use of color; the color "Parrish blue" was named after him. He achieved this richness of color through a process known as glazing. This involved him layering oil paints of different colors with varnish between them. He would also project geometric patterns onto his artwork or cut and paste images onto the canvas, creating a three-dimensional style in the finished piece. Some of his most famous pieces include the following:

• "Ecstasy"
• "The Young King of the Black Isles"
• "The Garden of Allah"
• "The Lute Players"
• "Daybreak"

Daybreak was a piece that has been emulated in a variety of forms throughout popular culture since its creation.