Charley Harper (1922-2007)
One of my favorite influences, illustrator Charley Harper died this past Sunday, June 10th, of pneumonia, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was 84. Charley was wildly popular among bird enthusiasts for his stylized depictions of various birds, not to mention wildlife in general. He had a great simplicity to his art, a certain modern clarity when depicting animals and nature. There’s a classic quote by Charley that always seemed to be mentioned in every article written about him: “I don’t count the feathers in the wings, I just count the number of wings.” And that pretty much summed up his approach to his art.
I fell in love with the classic Charley Harper style several years ago after buying a couple of items he illustrated, The Giant Golden Book of Biology (1961) and the Betty Crocker’s Dinner for Two Cookbook (1958). Whereas both were polar opposite in their execution (Biology in full-color and lushly illustrated, Dinner for Two spot illos done in the limited 2 color style), both exhibited Harper’s unique wit and affection for the animal kingdom. I also loved his compositions and use of symmetry/asymmetry — he had a graphic designer mindset that most artists and illustrators don’t possess. (I plan on scanning some from these two books soon.) Harper also did a number of illustrations for Ford Times Magazine throughout the 50’s and 60’s.
In his later years, Charley Harper found a huge following because of the many wildlife posters and serigraphs he cranked out on a routine basis — he was busy right up unto his final days. This year has been ramping up to be a big one for him: December 8th was proclaimed “Charley Harper Day” in Cincinnati, several exhibits featuring his work are currently running, and finally, Todd Oldham, who’s been a big fan of Harper’s, compiled a collection featuring the best of the artist’s work in a massive tome, Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life, becoming arguably THE definitive book on the artist.
To read more about Charley Harper, check these links below:
Memorium to Charley. (More here.)
Contemporary Arts Center memorium.
Graphic Content: Contemporary and Modern/Art and Design. (CAC current exhibit — Charley Harper is one of the featured artists.)
Interview with Charley by Todd Oldham.
Cincinnati Art Museum exhibit. (August 18-October 21, 2007)
Handmade Modern – Video of Charley Harper interview.
There’s also a Flickr group devoted to his artwork.
Side note: I actually called Charley up one day, wanting to talk with him about his life and artwork. I told him that I was having a hard time finding one of the other science books that he illustrated, The Animal Kingdom. I wasn’t trying to find out if he had any copies (I’m sure he didn’t), but nevertheless, he politely answered, “Well, there’s always eBay.” I hated that I never got to meet the guy. He had a kind, gentle quality to his voice. A gentle soul. He definitely will be missed.
Photo of Charlie from Cincinnati.com.
I have the Spanish version of the book illustrated by Harper that has these drawings in the cover, that Dad gave me as a present when I was a kid in my first grades. It is still one of my dearest material posessions up to date, the illustrations are superb.
Really sad news. Thanks for the great post, Ward.
Drake Brodahl has posted some nice scans from Harper’s Biology Book. Check ‘em out….
Thanks so much for posting this sad, important news.
Right off the top of my memory, I recall 2 great prints of
Mr. Harper’s: SkimmerScape and Bear in the Birches.
Classic, contemporary style. I had no idea he was so
admired, except by me. Huge fan of his since early 1980’s.
Truly sad news.
I’ve had a chance to see the book from AMMO books – it’s a really beautiful portrayal of his work.
I grew up in a home lined with Harper’s (as in almost every imageon this page hangs in m folks place), even a couple originals. His simplification of form always amazed me growing up. I’d just stare at the prints seeing forms come forward and subside.
A great talent who really worked to make people more aware of our natural heritage. He will be missed.
a true legend