Pruett Carter (1891-1956)- Office Conversation:Man and Woman - Original Magazine Illustration Art -Oil on Bristol Paper P3277
A wonderful magazine illustration mock-up by one of the 20th century giants in the field. And, as with all great illustrations, we "read" the picture as avidly as we read the story. A lot of information and some mystery is the ideal formula.
They are both great looking (the woman's profile is really striking) so romance may be possible down the line, but right now it's all business. And aerospace at that (notice the drawings on the wall). Can we assume she's a secretary? Not so fast. Something in the way she sits and attends to the gentleman says she may be the boss. She's busy. And at ease at the same time. The man is having to stand and wishes to show her something. Is he a salesman, or a designer, or an engineer? Is this purely business? Who holds the balance of power? It is Carter's gift to always bring a certain sexual tension or subtext to all man/woman exchanges. And this is just the sketch!
The painting comes to us from the estate of the daughter of the attorney who was left in charge of the artist's estate.
Board measures 17 1/2" x 23"
Studied under Walter Biggs. As art director for Good Housekeeping, Pruett Carter gave himself his first illustration assigment. WWI service. Returned to a 40-year career, in demand for Ladies' Home Journal, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, American Magazine, Collier's, Pictorial Review. Advertising assignments were numerous. Successfully moved from the medium of oil (1920s-1930s) to the faster gouache from the 1940s. Very influential as a teacher in Los Angeles.
Carter taught illustration at the Grand Central School of Art in New York City, with N. C. Wyeth and Harvey Dunn. His students included Lawrence Nelson Wilbur and Perle Fine. He also taught at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, and was head of the Illustration department.
His illustrations appeared in Life, Good Housekeeping, McCall's , Ladies' Home Journal, The American Magazine, and Woman's Home Companion. He was art director at Atlanta Journal and Good Housekeeping. Carter was an adept illustrator at the magazine publishing industry, including women's magazines, and anticipated and adjusted his approach as the market changed.
Initially, Carter made Impressionist works, like that of Walter Biggs. He stated, "The illustrator's first function is a problem of composition, of pattern, of design - including the rich contrast of the illustration itself with the type matter and headlines of the story... the illustrator may be likened to the director of a motion picture...He must live the part of each actor. He must do the scenery, design the costumes, and handle the lighting effects." He had adapted a modern style that focused on decoration and page design by the 1950s. He exhibited his works in California.
In 1988, Carter was inducted into the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame.
