Kay Nielsen (whose first name is pronounced "kigh"), (1886-1957) was a
DanishDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
illustratorAn illustrator is a graphic artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
who was popular in the early 20th century, the "golden age of illustration" which lasted from when
Daniel ViergeDaniel Vierge was a Spanish-born French illustrator who with the photo-engraver Gillot revolutionized the reproduction of illustrations. In 1882 the publication of his edition of Francisco de Quevedo's Historia de la vida del Buscón llamado don Pablos brought the technique of photo-reproduction...
and other pioneers developed printing technology to the point that drawings and paintings could be reproduced with reasonable facility, He joined the ranks of
Arthur Rackham-Life:Rackham was born in London as one of 12 children. At the age of 18, he worked as a clerk at the Westminster Fire Office and began studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art. In 1892 he quit his job and started working for The Westminster Budget as a reporter and illustrator...
and
Edmund DulacEdmund Dulac was a French book illustrator prominent during the so called "Golden Age of Illustration .-Early life and career:...
in enjoying the success of the gift books of the early 20th century.
Kay Nielsen (whose first name is pronounced "kigh"), (1886-1957) was a
DanishDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
illustratorAn illustrator is a graphic artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
who was popular in the early 20th century, the "golden age of illustration" which lasted from when
Daniel ViergeDaniel Vierge was a Spanish-born French illustrator who with the photo-engraver Gillot revolutionized the reproduction of illustrations. In 1882 the publication of his edition of Francisco de Quevedo's Historia de la vida del Buscón llamado don Pablos brought the technique of photo-reproduction...
and other pioneers developed printing technology to the point that drawings and paintings could be reproduced with reasonable facility, He joined the ranks of
Arthur Rackham-Life:Rackham was born in London as one of 12 children. At the age of 18, he worked as a clerk at the Westminster Fire Office and began studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art. In 1892 he quit his job and started working for The Westminster Budget as a reporter and illustrator...
and
Edmund DulacEdmund Dulac was a French book illustrator prominent during the so called "Golden Age of Illustration .-Early life and career:...
in enjoying the success of the gift books of the early 20th century. This fad lasted until roughly the end of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when economic changes made it more difficult to make a profit from elaborately illustrated books.
Born in
CopenhagenCopenhagen ; ) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,167,569 and a metropolitan area with a population of 1,875,179...
into an artistic family, his father was director of the
Royal Danish TheatreThe Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...
. He studied art in Paris from 1904 to 1911, and then lived in England from about 1911 to 1916. He received his first English commission from Hodder and Stoughton to illustrate a collection of fairytales, providing 24 colour plates and more than 15 monotone illustrations -
In Powder and Crinoline, Fairy Tales Retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, 1913. In the same year, Nielsen was also commissioned by
The Illustrated London News to produce a set of four illustrations to accompany the tales of
Charles PerraultCharles Perrault was a French author who laid foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, and whose best known tales, often derived from pre-existing folk tales, include Le Petit Chaperon rouge , La Belle au bois dormant , Le Maître chat ou le Chat botté ,...
- with the images for 'Le Belle au Bois Dormant' ('Sleeping Beauty'), 'Le Chat Botté' ('Puss in Boots'), 'Cendrillon' ('Cinderella') and 'La Barbe Bleue' ('Bluebeard') being published in the 1913 Christmas Edition.
A year later, he also provided 25 colour plates and more than 21 monotone images for the children's collection
East of The Sun West of The MoonEast of the Sun and West of the Moon is the Norwegian version of an old Scandinavian fairy tale. The Swedish version is called Prince Hat under the Ground....
, old tales from the North, 1914. The colour images for both
In Powder and Crinoline and
East of the Sun and West of the Moon were reproduced by a 4-colour process - in contrast to many of the illustrations prepared by his contemporaries that characteristically utilised a traditional 3-colour process. In 1914, too, Nielsen produced at least three wonderful illustrations depicting scenes from the life of
Joan of ArcSaint Joan of Arc is a national heroine of France and a Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, claiming divine guidance, and was indirectly responsible for the coronation of Charles VII...
(when published later in the 1920s, those images were associated with relevant text from
The Monk of Fife).
Meanwhile he painted (in
temperaTempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent fast drying painting medium consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium . Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium. Tempera paintings are very long lasting, and examples from the first centuries AD still...
) landscapes in the
DoverDover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; west of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
area. Nielsen came into contact with The Society of Tempera Painters where he learned new skills, and was able to reduce the time involved in the process. In 1917 he left for New York where there was an exhibition of his work and subsequently returned to Denmark. Together with a collaborator,
Johannes Poulsen Johannes Poulsen was a Danish actor and director.- Filmography :* 1910 – Elskovsbarnet* 1910 – Djævlesonaten* 1910 – Et Gensyn* 1910 – Elskovsleg...
, he painted stage scenery for the
Royal Danish TheatreThe Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...
in Copenhagen. During that time, Nielsen also worked on an extensive suite of illustrations intended to accompany a translation of Scheherazade's classic tales known as Arabian Nights that had been undertaken by the Arabic scholar, Professor Arthur Christensen (Nielsen notes that the prospective title was
Thousand Nights and a Night). According to Nielsen's own published comments, these illustrations were to be the basis of his return to book illustrations following a hiatus during World War I and the intention had been to publish the Danish version in parallel with versions for the English-speaking world (to be published in Great Britain and the United States) and the French market (to be published in Paris). That project, however, never came to fruition and those wonderful illustrations remained relatively unknown until many years after Nielsen's death.
Following his theatrical work in Copenhagen, Nielsen returned to contributing to illustrated books with the publication of
Fairy Tales by Hans Andersen in 1924. That title included 12 colour plates and more than 40 monotone illustrations - the colour images were prepared with integrated formal and informal borders; the informal borders were produced in a
mille fleur-type style. A year later, his superb contribution to
Hansel and Gretel, and Other Stories by the Brothers Grimm was first published with 12 colour images and over 20 detailed monotone illustrations. A further 5 years passed before the publication of
Red Magic - the final title to be illustrated comprehensively by Nielsen: the 1930 version of
Red Magic included 8 colour and more than 50 monotone contributions from the Danish artist.
In 1939 he left for California and worked for Hollywood companies, including
The Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company , often simply known as Disney, is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world, known for its family-friendly products...
, where his work was used in the "Ave Maria" and "Night on Bald Mountain" sequences of
FantasiaFantasia is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. Fantasia features animation set to classical music and no dialogue—only spoken introductions by the host, American composer and music critic Deems Taylor, before segments...
. In 1940 he was laid off. He did some work on "The Little Mermaid" story, but it was almost 50 years before this reached the cinema. His final years were spent in poverty. His last works were for local schools (including 'The First Spring' mural installed at Central Junior High School, Los Angeles) and churches (including his painting to the Wong Chapel at the First Congregational Church, Los Angeles - illustrating the 23rd Psalm).
His reputation has grown steadily since then.
Notable works
- In Powder and Crinoline: Old Fairy Tales (1913) by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch
- East of the Sun and West of the Moon (1914) by Peter Christen and Moe Asbjornsen
- Fairy Tales by Hans Andersen (1924) by Hans Andersen
- Hansel and Gretel and Other Stories by the Brothers Grimm (1925) by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
- Red Magic: a Collection of the World's Best Fairy Tales from All Countries (1930) by Romer Wilson (ed)
External links and resources