Howard Chandler Christy (1873-1952) was an American artist and illustrator.
Famous for the "Christy Girl" - a colorful and illustrious successor to the "Gibson Girl" - Christy is also widely known for his iconic WWI military recruitment and Liberty loan posters, along with his 1940 masterpiece titled, Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, which is installed along the east stairwell of the United States Capitol.
From the 1920s until the early 1950s, Christy was active as a portrait painter whose sitters included presidents, senators, industrialists, movies stars, and socialites.
He painted Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt, and Presidents Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Harry Truman.
Other famous people he painted include William Randolph Hearst, Edward VIII, Eddie Rickenbacker, Benito Mussolini, Prince Umberto and Amelia Earhart.
By 1938, Time magazine described Christy as "the most commercially successful U.S. artist".
National recognition
Having made his reputation for his work as a combat artist and in support of America's World War I effort, Christy soon was illustrating for numerous magazine covers. He became famous for the "Christy Girl", a picturesque and romantic type of society women uniquely his own.
His work, whether in watercolor, oils, or pen-and-ink, is characterized by great facility, a dashing but not exaggerated style and a strong sense of values.
Together with fellow artists Harrison Fisher and Neysa McMein he constituted the Motion Picture Classic magazine's "Fame and Fortune" contest jury of 1921-22, that discovered the It girl, Clara Bow.
In 1924, Christy painted the official portrait of First Lady Grace Coolidge featuring her white collie Rob Roy, that was hung in the Red Room of the White House and has been displayed in the China Room since the Kennedy administration.
During the Great Depression, Christy found new success as a muralist and painter of historical events.
In 1934 he painted a series of female nudes to decorate the New York City restaurant Café des Artistes.
Some of Christy's works, newly cleaned, are on display at The Leopard at des Artistes restaurant, the successor to the Café des Artistes.
They include six panels of wood nymphs and paintings such as The Parrot Girl, The Swing Girl, Ponce De Leon, Fall, Spring, and the Fountain of Youth.
In 1940, he painted the Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, which was installed in the House of Representatives wing in the United States Capitol.
Christy's Portrait of Dorothy Barton Thomas is in the Zanesville Museum of Art in Zanesville, Ohio, along with other Christy posters, prints and paintings in their collection.
Another of Christy's paintings was displayed at the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center.
The National Museum of American Illustration in Newport, RI, has a large collection of works by Christy.
A Christy hangs above a desk and typewriter in Jack London's cottage, located in Jack London State Historic Park, Glen Ellen, California. | Source: © Wikipedia
Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, 1940
Howard Chandler Christy (1872-1952) è stato un artista ed illustratore Americano.
Famoso per la "Christy Girl" - un colorato ed illustre successore della "Gibson Girl" - Christy è anche ampiamente conosciuto per i suoi iconici manifesti di reclutamento militare per la Libertà della Prima Guerra Mondiale, insieme al suo capolavoro del 1940 intitolato "Scene at the Signing of the Constitution degli Stati Uniti", che è installato lungo la tromba delle scale est del Campidoglio degli Stati Uniti.
Dopo essersi fatto una reputazione per il suo lavoro come artista di combattimento e per aver sostenuto lo sforzo americano nella prima guerra mondiale, Christy presto illustrò numerose copertine di riviste.
Divenne famoso per la "Christy Girl", un tipo pittoresco e romantico di donna della società unicamente suo.
Il suo lavoro, sia ad acquerello, ad olio od a penna ed inchiostro, è caratterizzato da grande facilità, uno stile audace ma non esagerato ed un forte senso dei valori.
Insieme ai colleghi artisti Harrison Fisher e Neysa McMein costituì la giuria del concorso "Fame and Fortune" della rivista Motion Picture Classic del 1921-22, che scoprì la It girl, Clara Bow.
Dagli anni '20 fino all'inizio degli anni '50, Christy fu attivo come ritrattista i cui modelli includevano presidenti, senatori, industriali, star del cinema e personaggi dell'alta società.
Dipinse il tenente colonnello Theodore Roosevelt ed i presidenti Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Delano Roosevelt e Harry Truman.
Altri personaggi famosi che dipinse includono William Randolph Hearst, Edoardo VIII, Eddie Rickenbacker, Benito Mussolini, il principe Umberto ed Amelia Earhart.
Nel 1938, la rivista Time descrisse Christy come "l'artista statunitense di maggior successo commerciale". | Source: © British Wikipedia
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