Maxfield Parrish

Biography of Maxfield Parrish ( 1870-1966 )

Born in a family of artists, Maxfield Parrish practiced drawing in his childhood, encouraged by his father, the painter and engraver Stephen Parrish. Between 1884 and 1886, he travelled in Europe with his parents, living in Italy, England and France. During this trip, he discovered the paintings of the great masters.

Parrish studied architecture at Haverford College in 1888. He perfected his artistic training by studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts alongside the Impressionist Robert Vonnoh and the naturalist painter Thomas Pollock Anshutz.

The following years, Parrish was recognized in the world of illustration. He produced nearly a thousand works of art, including calendars, greeting cards, illustrations for children's books and magazine covers. He worked for Harper's Bazaar and Scribner's Magazine.

After his first works in black and white, Parrish developed bright and saturated colors with the superposition of different layers of glaze. His way of working with color was so personal and so characteristic that we speak today of "Parrish blue".

Beyond his use of color, his sense of detail and composition made his work unique and recognizable. He frequently represented androgynous figures in mysterious night scenes.

Maxfield Parrish also created advertisments for companies like Wanamaker, Edison-Mazda Lamps, Colgate and Oneida Cutlery.