Most of Austin Briggs' major drawings-- such as his TV Guide series-- have been reproduced all over the internet, but going through the family archives I found hundreds of spot illustrations and lesser known drawings from his later decades that are rarely seen today. I'm taking this opportunity to put some of them back in public view.
As you can tell, the following six spot illustrations from one article are small and relatively inconsequential. Yet, their quality remains consistently high.
Briggs also did numerous spot illustrations in ink:
Briggs' ink drawings tended to be brash and blobby...
But ultimately I think his stronger drawing was done with litho crayon or charcoal:
There's a wealth of art buried in magazines and publications of the 20th century that may never see the light of day again. But here at least is a sampling of Austin Brigg's contribution.
I've been checking out your blog every month since 2006. Just wanted to say I love your posts. Your dedication to the appreciation of the various forms of illustration through out history has not gone unnoticed. Don't ever stop.
ReplyDeleteRacing and Dock scenes are nice, good drawing.
ReplyDeleteExcellent blog.
ReplyDeleteKev Ferrara-- The man standing on the dock is Briggs' son. I think it's interesting to contrast what Briggs does with ink in these drawings, with the ink drawings at the beginning of his career, which were all fine lines and cross hatching.
ReplyDeleteIgnacio Noé-- Many thanks!
Ron-- I appreciate the valentine. Your timing is good, I've been deliberating whether this blog has outlived its usefulness in a year when there are so many important issues crying out for constructive energy.
ReplyDeleteMr. Apatoff: Very impressive. A word that comes to mind in studying Mr. Briggs’ illustrations is “naturalistic” in the sense of presenting “multiple views of reality influenced by the social context and environment in which a situation is viewed.” Hope your concern that the public not have an opportunity in future to view his collection is unwarranted. In any event, thanks for these.
ReplyDeleteWonderful drawings by Briggs - a real treat. This blog has by no means outlived its usefulness. Nobody else is doing what you're doing. Please keep it up if you can!
ReplyDeleteI would also like to echo the calls of thanks for what you're doing, bringing light to multiple wonderful illustrators I'd never happen upon otherwise. Thanks for sharing these wonderful finds.
ReplyDeletevery good knowledgeable content. this really helps with Scraper API our website
ReplyDeletei really appreciate it. thanks for sharing your knowledge
web scraping