A few weeks ago I criticized a museum exhibition and an art critic for their shabby efforts to reduce the great achievement of J.C. Leyendecker to a “gay fifth column.” They claimed to see “hidden messages”(such as an erect penis) in Leyendecker’s paintings, which they claimed were designed to undermine “the majority’s straight erotics.” I responded that Leyendecker’s work is still under-appreciated, and that a rare exhibition of his originals should acknowledge his broader legacy, rather than serve as a political tool for tiresome people with a narrow agenda.
Some readers suggested that if Leyendecker deserves broader attention, I should help give him more attention rather than whining about the people who don’t. Fair enough:
It’s important to remember that most people became familiar with Leyendecker in an era when printing technology was relatively primitive and full color reproduction was rare.
So when the public is given a chance to view his original paintings, they are surprised by his acute powers of observation and his astonishing technical skills.
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| Images courtesy of the Kelly Collection of American Illustration |
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| Every artist today would know enough to paint those white highlights, but how many would also notice that the reflected light on the underside of the black beads is a warm color due to her skin, or notice the proper color for the shadow of the beads on her flesh? More importantly, how many would even care, if their picture was to be reproduced in two colors? |
In books about Leyendecker, we repeatedly see the same pictures of his stylish Arrow collar man, or Kuppenheimer ads, or sports figures. But Leyendecker did hundreds of quality covers on a variety of topics for The Saturday Evening Post and Collier’s that you rarely– if ever– see reproduced.
There’s still a rich lode of Leyendecker’s oeuvre which has yet to be mined and appreciated. It deserves to be taken seriously.