Burne Hogarth
Encyclopedia
Burne Hogarth was an American cartoon
ist, illustrator, educator, author and theoretician, best known for his pioneering work on the Tarzan
newspaper comic strip and his series of anatomy books.
in 1911. He displayed an early talent for drawing. His carpenter father saved these efforts and, some years later, presented them and the young Hogarth to the registrar at the Art Institute of Chicago
. At age 12, Hogarth was accepted and thus began a long formal education that took him through such institutions as Crane College and Northwestern University
in Chicago to Columbia University
in New York City
, all the while studying arts and sciences.
Due to his father’s premature death, Hogarth began working at age 15, when he became the assistant at the Associated Editors Syndicate and illustrated a series called Famous 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, and the following year, he drew Odd Occupations and Strange Accidents for Ledd Features Syndicate.
As the Depression worsened, Hogarth relocated to New York at the urging of friends. He found employment with King Features Syndicate
in 1934, drawing Charles Driscoll’s pirate adventure Pieces of Eight (1935). In 1936 came the assignment that catapulted Hogarth’s illustration career. With Tarzan, Hogarth brought together classicism
, expressionism
and narrative
into a new form of dynamic sequential art
. He drew the Tarzan Sunday page for 12 years (1937–45 and 1947–50). This work has been reprinted often, most recently by NBM Publishing
.
veterans. The Manhattan Academy of Newspaper Art was Hogarth’s first formal effort, and by 1947 he had transformed it into the Cartoonists and Illustrators School. This academy continued to grow, and in 1956 was again renamed, as the School 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 and art history
. Hogarth retired from the SVA in 1970 but continued to teach at the Parsons School of Design and, after a move to Los Angeles, the Otis School and Art Center College of Design
in Pasadena. Hogarth was an influence on many artists, notably the British illustrator Bill Ward
.
, a large-format hardbound graphic narrative published by Watson Guptill in 11 languages. This book marks the beginning of the mature, contemporary 'graphic novel
' . He followed with Jungle Tales of Tarzan
(1976), integrating previously unattempted techniques such as hidden, covert, and negative 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.
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?"
in 1996, Hogarth returned to Paris
where he suffered heart failure, dying January 28 at age 84.
Non-fiction books, mainly on the principles of art and design, include:
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
ist, illustrator, educator, author and theoretician, best known for his pioneering work on the Tarzan
Tarzan (comics)
Tarzan, a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in 23 sequels. The character proved immensely popular and quickly made the jump to other media, including comics.-Comic strips:...
newspaper comic strip and his series of anatomy books.
Biography
Hogarth was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1911. He displayed an early talent for drawing. His carpenter father saved these efforts and, some years later, presented them and the young Hogarth to the registrar at the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
. At age 12, Hogarth was accepted and thus began a long formal education that took him through such institutions as Crane College and Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Chicago to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, all the while studying arts and sciences.
Due to his father’s premature death, Hogarth began working at age 15, when he became the assistant at the Associated Editors Syndicate and illustrated a series called Famous 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, and the following year, he drew Odd Occupations and Strange Accidents for Ledd Features Syndicate.
As the Depression worsened, Hogarth relocated to New York at the urging of friends. He found employment with King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate, a print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to nearly 5000 newspapers worldwide...
in 1934, drawing Charles Driscoll’s pirate adventure Pieces of Eight (1935). In 1936 came the assignment that catapulted Hogarth’s illustration career. With Tarzan, Hogarth brought together classicism
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
, expressionism
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
and narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
into a new form of dynamic sequential art
Sequential art
Sequential art refers to the art form of using a train of images deployed in sequence to graphic storytelling or convey information. The best-known example of sequential art is comics, which are a printed arrangement of art and balloons, especially comic books and comic strips.The term is rarely...
. He drew the Tarzan Sunday page for 12 years (1937–45 and 1947–50). This work has been reprinted often, most recently by NBM Publishing
NBM Publishing
NBM Publishing is an American publisher of graphic novels. The company specializes in non-superhero comic genres and has translated and published over 150 graphic novels from Europe and Canada, as well as several works by Americans...
.
Art instruction
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 returning World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veterans. The Manhattan Academy of Newspaper Art was Hogarth’s first formal effort, and by 1947 he had transformed it into the Cartoonists and Illustrators School. This academy continued to grow, and in 1956 was again renamed, as the School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
(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 and art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
. Hogarth retired from the SVA in 1970 but continued to teach at the Parsons School of Design and, after a move to Los Angeles, the Otis School and Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design is a private college located in Pasadena, California, and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. The college’s industrial design program is consistently ranked number one by both DesignIntelligence and U.S...
in Pasadena. Hogarth was an influence on many artists, notably the British illustrator Bill Ward
Bill Ward (artist)
Bill Ward was a graphic artist known for producing educational materials for children and erotic images for homosexual publications.-History:...
.
Books
During his years teaching, Hogarth authored a number of anatomy and drawing books. Dynamic Anatomy (1958) and Drawing the Human Head (1965) were followed by further investigations of the human form. Dynamic Figure Drawing (1970) and Drawing Dynamic Hands (1977) completed the figure cycle. Dynamic Light and Shade (1981) and Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery (1995) explored other aspects relative to rendering the figure.Graphic novels
After more than 20 years away from strip work Hogarth returned to sequential art in 1972 with Tarzan of the ApesTarzan of the Apes
Tarzan of the Apes is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first in a series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine All-Story Magazine in October, 1912; the first book edition was published in 1914. The character was so popular that Burroughs...
, a large-format hardbound graphic narrative published by Watson Guptill in 11 languages. This book marks the beginning of the mature, contemporary 'graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
' . He followed with Jungle Tales of Tarzan
Jungle Tales of Tarzan
Jungle Tales of Tarzan is a collection of twelve loosely-connected short stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series about the title character Tarzan...
(1976), integrating previously unattempted techniques such as hidden, covert, and negative space
Negative space
Negative space, in art, is the space around and between the subject of an image. Negative space may be most evident when the space around a subject, and not the subject itself, forms an interesting or artistically relevant shape, and such space is occasionally used to artistic effect as the "real"...
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.
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?"
Awards
He received recognition for his work in the United.States., including the National 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. Shortly after attending the Angoulême International Comics FestivalAngoulême International Comics Festival
The Angoulême International Comics Festival is the largest comics festival in Europe. It has occurred every year since 1974 in Angoulême, France, in the month of January.The four-day festival is notable for awarding several prestigious prizes in cartooning...
in 1996, Hogarth returned to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he suffered heart failure, dying January 28 at age 84.
Comics
Comics work includes:- TarzanTarzan (comics)Tarzan, a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in 23 sequels. The character proved immensely popular and quickly made the jump to other media, including comics.-Comic strips:...
:- Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle
- Tarzan and the Elephants
- Tarzan and the Adventurers
- Tarzan and the Pygmies
- Miracle Jones
- DragoDragoDrago may refer to:* Drago * Drago * Drago, Italian for dragon* Drago in Sicily* Drago restaurants of California* Drago, Serbian footballer a.k.a...
Non-fiction books, mainly on the principles of art and design, include:
- Dynamic Anatomy (1958, reprint 2003, ISBN 0823015521)
- Drawing the Human Head (1965, reprint, 1989, ISBN 0823013766)
- Dynamic Figure Drawing (1970, reprint, 1996, ISBN 0823015777)
- Drawing Dynamic Hands (1977, reprint 1988, ISBN 0823013685)
- Dynamic Light and Shade (1981, reprint 1992, ISBN 0823015815)
- Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery (1995, ISBN 0823015874)