Mary Blair
Mary Blair (born October 21, 1911 in McAlester , Oklahoma , † July 26, 1978 in Soquel , California ; born Mary Robinson ) was an American graphic artist who was best known for her work for Walt Disney Productions .
Life
Mary Blair was born in McAlester, Oklahoma , in 1911 . Thanks to a scholarship, she was able to study at the Chouinard School of Arts in Los Angeles, where she graduated in 1933. In 1934 she married Lee Everett Blair, also a graphic artist and animator. She began her career in the animation department of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer before moving to the Walt Disney Studios in 1940, where her husband was already working. In 1941 she traveled to South America with Walt Disney and a number of other animators from the studio. The result of this trip were the films Drei Caballeros im Samba fever (1943) and Drei Caballeros (1944), for which Blair took over the artistic direction. Above all, her way of dealing with colors was convincing. In the years that followed, she continued to work on Disney films, including Uncle Remus' Wonderland (1946), Make Mine Music (1946), Music, Dance and Rhythm (1948), A Champion to Fall in Love with (1949), The Adventures of Ichabod and Taddaeus Toad (1949).
Mary Blair's main work is her concept design for the films Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953).
After Peter Pan was finished , Blair left Walt Disney Studios and started her own business as a graphic designer. She designed several advertising campaigns for different companies, stage sets and illustrations for children's books.
At the request of Walt Disney, who loved Blair's use of color, she designed the “ it's a small world ” attraction for the UNICEF pavilion at the New York World's Fair in 1964. After the World's Fair was over, this ride was brought to Disneyland , California (copies of this attraction were later also built in Walt Disney World , Tokyo Disney Resort and Disneyland Resort Paris ).
She also designed murals for Disneyland's Tomorrowland-themed area in 1967 (which have since been removed due to renovation work) and in 1971 for Disney's Contemporary Resort Hotel in Walt Disney World, Florida.
Mary Blair died on July 26, 1978 in Soquel, California. Blair was posthumously honored as a Disney Legend by the Walt Disney Company in 1991.
Work (selection)
Movie
- Dumbo (1941)
- Three Caballeros in Samba Fever (1943)
- Three Caballeros (1944)
- Uncle Remus' Wonderland (1946)
- Make Mine Music (1946)
- Happy, free, having fun (1947)
- So Dear to My Heart (1948)
- Music, dance and rhythm (1948)
- A Champion To Fall In Love With (1949)
- The Adventures of Ichabod and Taddeus Toad (1949)
- Cinderella (1950)
- Alice in Wonderland (1951)
- The Little House (1952)
- Peter Pan (1953)
Book illustration
- I Can Fly by Ruth Krauss (1950)
- Baby's House by Gelolo McHugh (1950)
- The Golden Book of Little Verses by Miriam Clark Potter (1953)
- The New Golden Song Book by Miriam Clark Potter (1955)
- Walt Disney's Peter Pan by Dave Barry ; Ridley Pearson (2009)
theme park
- it's a small world , UNICEF pavilion, New York World's Fair 1964, today part of Disneyland
- Fiesta , Mexico Pavilion of the Epcot World Showcase
- Mosaic , Disney's Contemporary Resort
musical
literature
- John Canemaker : Before the Animation Begins , Hyperion, 1996
Web links
- Mary Blair in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Susan King: Classic Hollywood: A colorful tribute to Disney's Mary Blair. LA Times , October 17, 2011
- Mary Blair's World of Color - A Centennial Tribute (video)
- The Disney Great Artists - Mary Blair with many illustrations
- Cinderella: The Art & Flair of Mary Blair (video on vimeo , 15 min., Engl.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Disney Legends: Mary Blair (Eng.)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Blair, Mary |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Robinson, Mary (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American graphic artist and Disney animator |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 21, 1911 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | McAlester , Oklahoma |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 26, 1978 |
| Place of death | Soquel , California |