George Petty
George Brown Petty IV (born April 27, 1894 in Abbeville , † July 21, 1975 in San Pedro ) was an American pin-up painter. His pin-up pictures appeared mainly in Esquire and True , as well as in calendars published by the two magazines and other companies for promotional purposes. Petty drew a number of pin-up-style promotional images, his pin-ups, which were printed in the middle of the Esquire on the folder, are the origin of the centerfold . His “Petty Girls” also served as motif templates for nose art on military aircraft such as the “ Memphis Belle ”.
Family and childhood
Petty was born on April 27, 1894 in Abbeville, Louisiana . His parents were George Brown Petty III and his wife Sarah. George was the second child in the family; his sister Elizabeth was three years older than him. Shortly before the turn of the century, the Pettys moved from Louisiana to Chicago , Illinois , where George III had some success as a photographer, he also photographed young women, Madonnas and nudes, among other things.
Education and studies
Petty proved to be a mediocre student in high school and spent much of his time in extracurricular activities so he just barely graduated. His talent and interest in art first became apparent when he was working as a draftsman for the high school student newspaper. During this time Petty attended evening classes at the Art Institute of Chicago and gave drawing classes for his classmates. During the summer holidays he worked in his father's photo studio, where he learned to airbrush .
After graduating, Petty studied art with Jean-Paul Laurens at the Académie Julian in Paris . In 1916 all Americans were summoned home by the ambassador to France, Joseph P. Herrick, in view of the First World War , and Petty also returned to the United States.
Artistic influences
Petty himself never explained exactly to what extent other artists influenced him; apart from JC Leyendecker, who influenced Petty's portrayal of men, Coles Phillips , whose technique became a model for Petty, and Maxfield Parrish , whose use of light was admired by Petty. Other artistic influences come mainly from artists who were well known in Paris at the time, for example Alfons Mucha , George Barbier and Russell Flint .
literature
- Reid S. Austin, George Petty: Petty. The classic pin-up art of George Petty . Gramercy Books, New York 1997, ISBN 0-517-20115-1 .
- Reid S. Austin: The Petty Girl. Airbrushed and idealized, George Petty's classic pinups captured an era . In: Step-by-Step Graphics , Vol. 17 (2001), pp. 92-101, ISSN 0886-7682
Web links
- The Pin-up Files: George Petty (1894–1975) (English, biography and drawings, accessed February 15, 2010)
Individual evidence
- ↑ George Petty: (centerfold girl) . In: Esquire . April 1941. Hearst Corporation , New York City 1941, p. 39-40 ( esquire.com [accessed August 9, 2019]).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Petty, George |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Petty, George Brown (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American draftsman and illustrator |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 27, 1894 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Abbeville , Louisiana |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 21, 1975 |
| Place of death | San Pedro , California |