| Burne Hogarth | |
|---|---|
 Burne Hogarth at the 1982 San Diego Comic Con | |
| Born | Spinoza Bernard Ginsburg (1911-12-25)December 25, 1911 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 28, 1996(1996-01-28) (aged 84) Paris, France |
| Area(s) | Artist, educator |
Notable works | Tarzan |
| Awards | Inkpot Award (1978)[1] |
| burnehogarth.com | |
Burne Hogarth (bornSpinoza Bernard Ginsburg,[2][3] December 25, 1911 – January 28, 1996) was an American artist and educator, best known for his work on theTarzan newspaper comic strip and his series of anatomy books for artists.
Hogarth was born inChicago in 1911,[4] the younger son of Pauline and carpenter Max.[5][6][3][7] He displayed an early talent for drawing. His father saved these efforts and some years later presented them and the young Hogarth to the registrar at theArt Institute of Chicago. At age 12, Hogarth was admitted, embarking on a formal education that took him through such institutions asChicago'sCrane College andNorthwestern University, andNew York City'sColumbia University inNew York City – also studying arts and sciences.[8]
Due to his father's early death, Hogarth began work at age 15, when he became the assistant at the Associated Editors Syndicate and illustrated a series calledFamous Churches of the World. He worked for several years as an editor and advertising artist. This work provided steady (and, by 1929, crucial) employment. In 1929, he drew his first comic strip,Ivy Hemmanhaw, for the Barnet Brown Company; in 1930 he drewOdd Occupations and Strange Accidents for Ledd Features Syndicate.[8]
As theGreat Depression worsened, Hogarth relocated to New York City at the urging of friends. He found employment withKing Features Syndicate in 1934, drawing Charles Driscoll's pirate adventurePieces of Eight (1935). In 1936 came the assignment that catapulted Hogarth's illustration career. WithTarzan, Hogarth brought togetherclassicism,expressionism andnarrative into a new form of dynamic,sequential art: the newspaper comic strip. Hogarth drew theTarzan "Sunday (newspaper comic strip) page" for 12 years (1937–45; 1947–50). This work has been reprinted often, most recently byNBM Publishing.[8][9]
Almost as long as he was a professional artist, Hogarth was a teacher. Over the years, he was an instructor of drawing to a variety of students at a number of institutions, and by 1944 Hogarth had in mind a school for returningWorld War II veterans. The Manhattan Academy of Newspaper Art was Hogarth's first formal effort, and by 1947 he had transformed it into theCartoonists and Illustrators School. This academy continued to grow, and in 1956 was again renamed, as theSchool of Visual Arts (SVA), now one of the world's leading art schools. Hogarth designed the curriculum, served as an administrator and taught a full schedule that included drawing, writing andart history. Hogarth retired from the SVA in 1970 but continued to teach at theParsons School of Design and, after a move to Los Angeles, the Otis School andArt Center College of Design in Pasadena.[9]
During his years teaching, Hogarth authored a number of anatomy and drawing books.Dynamic Anatomy (1958) andDrawing the Human Head (1965) were followed by further investigations of the human form.Dynamic Figure Drawing (1970) andDrawing Dynamic Hands (1977) completed the figure cycle.Dynamic Light and Shade (1981) andDynamic Wrinkles and Drapery (1995) explored other aspects relative to rendering the figure.[9]
After more than 20 years away from strip work Hogarth returned to sequential art in 1972 withTarzan of the Apes, a large-format hardbound graphic narrative published by Watson Guptill in 11 languages. He followed withJungle Tales of Tarzan (1976), integrating previously unattempted techniques such as hidden, covert, andnegative space imagery with inspired color themes into a harmonious visual description, a pinnacle of narrative art. These texts, in addition to Hogarth's strip work, exert a pervasive and ongoing influence within the global arts community and among delighted readers everywhere.[8][9]
His energetic speeches were known for addressing any topic that was thrown at him with a lengthy string of ideas that could cover the French Revolution and amusement parks by way of Postmodernism and graffiti art, meandering through economics and globalization, only to return to an enlightened answer to the original question. In his teaching he was known for a vigorous and surprising approach, which could include instructions such as: "Paint me this sound: a spider walking on his web. What is the music of that sound?"[9]*
He received recognition for his work in the United States, including theNational Cartoonist Society Advertising and Illustration Award for 1975, Magazine and Book Illustration Award for 1992, and Special Features Award for 1974, and dozens of awards internationally. He taught, wrote, created and theorized lucidly and passionately into his last days. For decades he was regularly invited to international events, frequently in a starring capacity.[4]
He was inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2010.[10]
During a stay inParis, France, Hogarth suffered heart failure. He died on January 28, 1996 in theHôpital Cochin. He had been visiting the city after attending theAngoulême International Comics Festival where he was a guest of honor.[4][11]
Comics work includes:
Non-fiction books, mainly on the principles of art and design, include:
Writings:
Written by Burne Hogarth, this article details the pitfalls of traditional art school, and points out the benefits of The Cartoonist's and Illustrator's Center (the present-day School of Visual Arts), which he co-founded.[13]
This article details (among other things) the influence of Burne Hogarth's artwork on Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC during the making ofApocalypse Now. From the article: "Storaro's surrealistic treatment of the jungle scenes was partially inspired by the art of Burne Hogarth, whose bold use of color brought the Tarzan comic strip to vivid life during the late 1930s."[13]
