When I was a commercial art student there was a very small group of emerging artists whose work astonished me. Those guys were so good I came to realize that I could never compete with their likes. So I dropped art after graduation and moved on to more technical fields including demographic forecasting and computer system programming.

One of those master illustrators was the great Bernie Fuchs. Another was Bob Peak (1927-1992). A web site about him run by his son is here and a short Wikipedia entry is here.

Peak seems to be best known for his movie posters such as these:

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Notice anything?

What I note is versatility. Peak could work in a variety of styles and media and do fine work regardless. Below are more examples that I hope will give you something of the sense of professional awe I experienced in my student days and thereafter when I encountered his work.

Gallery

[Image][Image]Two advertisement illustrations for Trans-World Airlines. These are in the Bernie Fuchs mode.

[Image]Poster art for My Fair Lady.

[Image]Portrait of Jimmy Carter used for a Time magazine cover.

[Image]Watercolor portrait of Louis Armstrong.

[Image]Portrait of painter and art instructor Robert Henri -- again rather Fuchs-like.

[Image]Advertising art: elegant, Deco-poster like.

As I said, versatile