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R.I.P., Al Hirschfeld

samuelksamuelk The Unstoppable Mr. 'K'
Anyone who studies art should at least be familiar with Al Hirschfield. And if you're an artist who doesn't know his work, it would benefit you to take a look at the drawings he's done throughout his life.

Hirschfeld is probably best known for his charicatures of well known people - celebrities, political leaders, musicians, etc. Some of his most famous works were featured on the cover of [i]The New Yorker[/i].

Hirschfeld's style was completely unique. He was the master of the line. His art had a fluidity that couldn't be matched. When you look at his drawings, you get the feeling that he had no idea what a right angle was. The charicatures he drew defy logic....they appear, in a way, completely alien, yet at the same time, very natural. And the portraits are immediately recognizable.

Hirschfeld was a favorite of many Disney animators. His influence can be seen in the design for the genie in [i]Aladdin[/i]. More Hirschfeld collaborated with Disney animators for one of the sequences in Fantasia 2000. For the first time, Hirshcfeld's fluid drawing style was put in motion, and it was perfect. Set in 1920's New York to the tune of Rhapsody in Blue, this segment was devoid of shading, and captured Hirschfeld's caligraphy-drawing style. Even Hirschfeld himself was amazed that his technique was captured so well, and was surprised to see it maintained in animated form (I highly recommend listening to Hirschfeld's audio commentary on the Fantasia 2000 DVD).

Al Hirschfeld never stopped drawing. I'll miss his art.


[url="http://www.alhirschfeld.com/"]Al Hirschfeld, 1903 - 2003[/url]

Comments

  • Entil'ZhaEntil'Zha I see famous people
    [quote]Originally posted by samuelk:
    [b]Anyone who studies art should at least be familiar with Al Hirschfield. And if you're an artist who doesn't know his work, it would benefit you to take a look at the drawings he's done throughout his life.

    Hirschfeld is probably best known for his charicatures of well known people - celebrities, political leaders, musicians, etc. Some of his most famous works were featured on the cover of [i]The New Yorker[/i].

    Hirschfeld's style was completely unique. He was the master of the line. His art had a fluidity that couldn't be matched. When you look at his drawings, you get the feeling that he had no idea what a right angle was. The charicatures he drew defy logic....they appear, in a way, completely alien, yet at the same time, very natural. And the portraits are immediately recognizable.

    Hirschfeld was a favorite of many Disney animators. His influence can be seen in the design for the genie in [i]Aladdin[/i]. More Hirschfeld collaborated with Disney animators for one of the sequences in Fantasia 2000. For the first time, Hirshcfeld's fluid drawing style was put in motion, and it was perfect. Set in 1920's New York to the tune of Rhapsody in Blue, this segment was devoid of shading, and captured Hirschfeld's caligraphy-drawing style. Even Hirschfeld himself was amazed that his technique was captured so well, and was surprised to see it maintained in animated form (I highly recommend listening to Hirschfeld's audio commentary on the Fantasia 2000 DVD).

    Al Hirschfeld never stopped drawing. I'll miss his art.


    [url="http://www.alhirschfeld.com/"]Al Hirschfeld, 1903 - 2003[/url][/b][/quote]

    I can't believe Hersfield died! His art was awesome, I once saw a production of Oliver at the Hersfield Theatre in florida, And i had almost as much fun searching for "NINA" in all the artwork as i did watching the show

    For those who don't know, He inserted his daughter's name "Nina" somewhere in almost every work he did, half the fun of his art was seeing how many times you could find "Nina" in the drawing.

    His art will be missed!
  • WHY_oldWHY_old Elite Ranger
    He will be missed, this is a man [url="http://www.alhirschfeld.com/cgi-bin/popup?ID=0ST2&CAT=A1"]who managed to make ******* look slightly attractive...[/url]
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