Hungary/United States, (1882-1955)
-
Circe and the swine
- (1918), watercolor, gouache and pencil
- 19 x 15.8 in. (48.3 x 40 cm.)
- illustration from:
The Adventures of Odysseus and The Tales of Troy. Padriac Colum. New York: Macmillan Co. (1918)
-
Archer
- (ndg.), watercolor and ink on paper
- 10 x 6.8 in. (25.4 x 17.1 cm.)
About the Artist:
William Andrew (“Willy”) Pogány (born Vilmos Andreas Pogány), Hungary/United States, (1882-1955) was an illustrator of classic and children’s book. He worked in watercolors, oil and especially pen and ink.
Pogány is best known for his pen and ink drawings of myths and fables. Much of Pogány’s work is reminiscent of Art Nouveau. His artistic style is heavily fairy-tale orientated. Pogány often featured motifs of mythical animals such as nymphs and pixies with great attention to background and botanical details.
Besides book illustration, commercial work, mural paintings, portraits, etchings, and sculptures, when he moved to America Pogány became interested in theater and designed stage settings and costumes for different shows and the Metropolitan Opera House. Later, he moved to Hollywood to serve as an art director for several film studios during the 1930s and 1940s. [DES-11/14]
Additional information:
- Willy Pogány at American Art Archives
- Willy Pogány at Inspiration and stories, a blog about some of the past great children’s books illustrators and their work.