Howard Pyle - part 13

Howard Pyle
photographed  by Arthur Ernst Becher in 1902

Howard Pyle (1853, Wilmington Del. - 1911, Florence) was one ofAmerica’s most popular illustrators and storytellers at the end of the 19th century during a period of explosive growth in the publishing industry. His illustrations appeared in magazines like Harper’s Monthly, St. Nicholas, and Scribner’s Magazine, gaining him both national and international exposure. The broad appeal of his imagery made him a celebrity in his lifetime.

Pyle studied at the Art Student’s League, New York City, and first attracted attention by his line drawings after the style of Albrecht Dürer. His magazine and book illustrations are among the finest of the turn-of-the-century period in the Art Nouveau style. Pyle wrote original children’s stories as well as retelling old fairy tales. Many of Pyle’s children’s stories, illustrated by the author with vividness and historical accuracy, have become classics—most notably The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (1883); Otto of the Silver Hand (1888); Jack Ballister’s Fortunes (1895); and his own folktales, Pepper & Salt (1886), The Wonder Clock (1888), and The Garden Behind the Moon (1895).

In 1894, he began teaching illustration at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry. Among his students there wer valet Oakley, Maxfield Parrish, and Jessie Wikcox Smith. After 1900, he founded his own school of art and illustration named the Howard Pyle School of Illustration Art. Scholar Henry C. Pitz later used the term Brandywine School for the illustration artists and Wyeth family artists of the Brandywine region, several of whom had studied with Pyle. He had a lasting influence on a number of artists who became notable in their own right; N.C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover, Thornton Oakley, Allen Tupper True, Stanley Arthur, and numerous others studied under him.

Later Pyle undertook mural paintings, executing, among others, The Battle of Nashville (1906) for the capitol at St. Paul, Minn. Dissatisfied with his style in painting, he went to Italy for further study but died shortly afterward. Pyle had established a free schoolof art in his home in Wilmington, where many successful American illustrators received their education.

Pyle travelled to Florence, Italy in 1910 to study mural painting. He died there in 1911 of a sudden kidney infection (Bright’s Disease).

For earlier works by Howard Pyle see parts 1-12 also.

This is part 13 of a 13-part series on the works of Howard Pyle: 

1910 The Mermaid
oil on canvas 57.8 x 40.1 cm
Delaware Art Museum

1910 Hudson County Courthouse, 583 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, Hudson County, NJ:

Howard Pyle working on a mural

1910 Study for “Life in an Old Dutch Town”

1910 Study for “Life in an Old Dutch Town”
detail

1910 Study for “Life in an Old Dutch Town”
detail

First Passage of the Steamer Clermont to Albany 1807, Rotunda, Hudson County Courthouse

Interior, Second Floor, Freeholders' Room
Library of Congress, Washington, DC

View of Early Settlement of New Amsterdam

1910 The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur (1924 edition):

Front Cover

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
 "Sir Galahad of the Grail"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
Title page

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Contents"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Sir Geraint, Son of Erbin"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Prologue"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Sir Geraint in the garden"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Chapter heading"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Sir Geraint and the Knight of the Sparrow-hawk"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Sir Geraint lies asleep"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Enid talks with the Earl"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Enid and Geraint ride past the Town bridge"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"The King's physicians attend Sir Geraint."

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Sir Galahad cometh with the Hermit of the forest"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"The Lady of the Lake and Sir Galahad"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Sir Galahad meets Sir Melyas"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"The Grail is manifested, and Sir Launcelot sleepeth"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Sir Percival rideth the black horse"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Sir Bors rides with the white knight"

 The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Sir Galahad rides with the Lady"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"The Queens' pages clothe Sir Launcelot"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Sir Mador de la Porte"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Sir Mador begs for his Life"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Sir Launcelot defends the door"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"The Bishop of Rochester and the King"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"Sir Gawaine challenges Sir Launcelot"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"The Passing of Sir Gawaine"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
 "Sir Mordred the traitor"

 The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"The Passing of Arthur"

The Story of the Grail and the Passing of King Arthur
"The Passing of Guinevere"

n.d. A Royal Prince at prayer
etching
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, CA

n.d. A Study

n.d. Bowling

n.d. Cave Dwelling

n.d. Early Printers
etching 55.9 x 33.3 cm ( image )
 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, CA

n.d. La Salle Christening the Country 'Louisisana'

n.d. Letter of Introduction

n.d. Reading and smoking beneath a tree
etching 56.2 x 34,7 cm ( image )
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, CA

n.d. Red Coat Soldiers toasting the Ladies of the House

n.d. The Serenade
engraved by Katherine Pyle, the artist's sister

n.d. Two Lovers in a Garden

n.d. Villon - The Singer Fate fashioned to her liking