Austin Briggs

At the Airport

1951

“Graduation Day” is emblematic of mid-century American Illustration. But the real story of this storytelling work is that it embodies the lost art of portrait painting and graphic design. Alex Ross borrows on the classical tradition and flaunts his skills as a narrative painter. In “Graduation Day”, he paints a complex composition involving at least thirteen portraits. The subjects are beautifully rendered and lit. They are set against a dark grey background and jump off the surface at the viewer. The composition is complexly designed. The future graduate in the red jacket engaging with a girl photographer is a compositional device that leads the viewer's eye to the main subject - a father congratulating his son on graduating from medical school. Creating art that relies on facial expressions and body gestures is a talent absent in contemporary art. Why? It’s very hard to do and takes years and training and practice to get it right. Despite Alex Ross's folksy subject matter, this work is a high example of naturalism and representation by an important member of the Golden Age of American Illustration. Signed lower right Born in the town of Dunfermline, Scotland, Alexander Sharpe Ross (1908-1990) moved with his family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1911. After attending Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University), Ross moved to New York and joined the Charles E. Cooper Studio, where he worked among such notable illustrators as Ward Brackett, Stevan Dohanos, J. Frederick Smith...

Stadium Party depicts at wholesome all-american tail gate party from the 1950's. Stadium Party Circa 1950's 16 x 22 Oil on Canvas Signed lower left , Condition is excellent, Work i...

O MARA'S MUNICIPAL TAVERN - Saturday Evening Post Illustration Supreme technical skill allows the artist to realistically capture an...

Film noir crime drama painted in a single frame. In narrative art, telling a story in a single image is harder than doing it in episodes. "'That police officer...

Represented by George Billis Gallery, NYC & LA -- Trevor Young is a quintessentially American painter. He makes no bones about his affection for the trappings of car culture, lif...

Duane Bryers, American (1911 - 2012) - Four Corners Cafe, Year: 1979, Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 300, AP, Image Size: 18 x 22.5 in., Size: 20.5 ...

Date: 1960s Medium: Watercolor on Paper Dimensions: 22.50" x 20.50" Signature: Signed Lower Right From the Estate of Charles Martignette.

This is a nostalgia piece featuring a 1949 Buick getting serviced at the service station. Back in those days the station attendants really did service ...