Stanley Meltzoff
Encyclopedia
Stanley Meltzoff was an American
painter
and was most known for his marine
paintings
The artist attended the MA Inst. Fine Arts, NYU, 1940 and the Art Students League of New York
. He was a soldier Artist-Journalist with Stars and Stripes
, Italy
World War II
1941-45. The artist became a full time picture-maker in 1949. Meltzoff was a member of the Society of animal artists
.
Stanley Meltzoff (1917–2006) was one of America's foremost artists and illustrators of the 20th century. Born in New York, his father Nathan was a cantor at a Manhattan synagogue and instilled in his son a keen appreciation for the arts. Stanley was educated at CCNY, graduating with a Phi Beta Kappa key and falling into an instructorship at the famed Pratt Institute of Art before the advent of World War II. During the war, he was a correspondent for Stars and Stripes, the legendary military publication that introduced the world to Bill Mauldin and Andy Rooney, among others. Meltzoff was an illustrator, bringing to life the news of the day and creating visuals for Puptent Poets, a small paperback of soldiers' verse that struck a nerve with every serviceman who opened its pages.
Returning to NY after the war, he spent five years alternating between teaching and art, finally gaining the artistic courage to go out on his own. The 1950s were spent creating dozens of pulp fiction paperback covers for the likes of Robert Heinlein (among many others) and completing a variety of striking pictures for a number of high-profile Madison Avenue advertisers. Along the way, he painted covers and interior spreads for the likes of Life, National Geographic, Saturday Evening Post, The Atlantic, and many others. His 65 covers for Scientific American was an indication of the good company that demanded his work. Today his art hangs in the National Gallery (Smithsonian), Getty Museum, and many other world-class institutions.
However, with the advent of low-cost color photography and reproduction in the early 1960s, illustration artists such as Stanley found their finally honed skills less in demand. Bowing to the times, he switched gears and began painting saltwater game fish in their undersea environments. He was the first to do so, attracting the attention first of Sports Illustrated and later virtually all outdoor media. He painted virtually all the major big-game species, eschewing fresh water species as being easier to see and thus less interesting to paint. His art would run in virtually every major outdoor publication, including Field and Stream, Gray's Sporting Journal, Outdoor Life, Sporting Classics, Sports Afield, Wildlife Art, and others. Widely recognized by a variety of admirers and institutions, he continued to garner accolades until the end of his life. Today it is not too much to say that virtually every fish painter of any stature still regards Stanley Meltzoff as not only the father of the genre but still its unchallenged master. Meltzoff died in 2006 at age 89. A book on his life and work will be published in late 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and was most known for his marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
paintings
The artist attended the MA Inst. Fine Arts, NYU, 1940 and the Art Students League of New York
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
. He was a soldier Artist-Journalist with Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes (newspaper)
Stars and Stripes is a news source that operates from inside the United States Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. The First Amendment protection which Stars and Stripes enjoys is safeguarded by Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
World War II
World 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...
1941-45. The artist became a full time picture-maker in 1949. Meltzoff was a member of the Society of animal artists
Society of Animal Artists
The Society of Animal Artists is an international organization for artists who paint, sculpt, or draw animals and wildlife, founded in 1960.The Society of Animal Artists, Inc. is "devoted to promoting excellence in the portrayal of the creatures sharing our planet, and to the education of the...
.
Stanley Meltzoff (1917–2006) was one of America's foremost artists and illustrators of the 20th century. Born in New York, his father Nathan was a cantor at a Manhattan synagogue and instilled in his son a keen appreciation for the arts. Stanley was educated at CCNY, graduating with a Phi Beta Kappa key and falling into an instructorship at the famed Pratt Institute of Art before the advent of World War II. During the war, he was a correspondent for Stars and Stripes, the legendary military publication that introduced the world to Bill Mauldin and Andy Rooney, among others. Meltzoff was an illustrator, bringing to life the news of the day and creating visuals for Puptent Poets, a small paperback of soldiers' verse that struck a nerve with every serviceman who opened its pages.
Returning to NY after the war, he spent five years alternating between teaching and art, finally gaining the artistic courage to go out on his own. The 1950s were spent creating dozens of pulp fiction paperback covers for the likes of Robert Heinlein (among many others) and completing a variety of striking pictures for a number of high-profile Madison Avenue advertisers. Along the way, he painted covers and interior spreads for the likes of Life, National Geographic, Saturday Evening Post, The Atlantic, and many others. His 65 covers for Scientific American was an indication of the good company that demanded his work. Today his art hangs in the National Gallery (Smithsonian), Getty Museum, and many other world-class institutions.
However, with the advent of low-cost color photography and reproduction in the early 1960s, illustration artists such as Stanley found their finally honed skills less in demand. Bowing to the times, he switched gears and began painting saltwater game fish in their undersea environments. He was the first to do so, attracting the attention first of Sports Illustrated and later virtually all outdoor media. He painted virtually all the major big-game species, eschewing fresh water species as being easier to see and thus less interesting to paint. His art would run in virtually every major outdoor publication, including Field and Stream, Gray's Sporting Journal, Outdoor Life, Sporting Classics, Sports Afield, Wildlife Art, and others. Widely recognized by a variety of admirers and institutions, he continued to garner accolades until the end of his life. Today it is not too much to say that virtually every fish painter of any stature still regards Stanley Meltzoff as not only the father of the genre but still its unchallenged master. Meltzoff died in 2006 at age 89. A book on his life and work will be published in late 2009.