In the Beginning: Edwin Georgi

This post is part of a sub-series. The main focus of "In the Beginning" is painters whose styles changed dramatically from early in their careers to what they are most famous for. Here, I'm doing the same for illustrators.

The subject is Edwin Georgi (1896-1964) who is probably best known for glamorous ladies painted in a Divisionist manner: much of the surface is comprised of distinct brush strokes. In Georgi's case, these brushstrokes tend to be tiny and his colors intense to the point of being unnatural. The overall effect can be arresting, though from time to time I think he overdid things.

The first image below is an archetypical Georgi that qualifies as overdone in my reckoning. It sets the stage for the other images which I photographed from what was originally titled the Annual of Advertising Art, a collection of awards by the Art Directors Club of New York. (Details have changed, and the current incarnation is noted here.) Dates for the work he was doing in his early 30s are "circa" the year before the publication date of the annual in which his work appeared.

Gallery

For Saturday Evening Post - 30 July 1957

For H.J. Heinz - c.1927

For McCall's - c.1929

For McCall's, original in color - c.1929

For McCall's - c.1931

For Redbook - c.1931

For Crane Paper - c1932

For Chrysler Imperial - c.1932

For Chrysler - c.1933