Happy Pride Month!

Joseph Christian Leyendecker was one of the most prolific commercial artists of 1920s United States, his use of hatching, strong lighting, contrast and selective use of smooth shading created a distinct art style with instantly recognizable forms and silhouettes.

His art became so widely used, praised and emulated, that his style effectively became the visual language of Art Deco and pre-WW2 United States. Sadly, Norman Rockwell eventually replaced him as the face of U.S. art, ~~with his vapid, boring, realist art style.~~

He was also very likely in love with his studio manager and muse, Charles A. Beach. While there are no surviving accounts of Leyendecker admitting to homosexuality, the common consensus is that his lifestyle has matched all the patterns of homosexual men who have lived during his time, which would also give insight about his eye for depicting the male form.

As a freelance illustrator he was commissioned by big magazines for front covers, by companies for illustrated ads and the U.S. military for posters. There are probably hundreds of his pieces out there, but sadly I was not able to find a unified collection. So here is a link to a site where it shows 37 of his illustrations:

https://www.wikiart.org/en/j-c-leyendecker

◇ ◇ If you drew something that is still a Work In Progress (WIP), this is the place to share it. ◇ ◇

◇ ◇ If you have any art related thoughts or questions, this is the place for that discussion. ◇ ◇

This mega's purpose is to create a casual, low-pressure environment for artists and non-artists alike to engage in sharing their incomplete art, giving feedback to others and holding general art discussion. If you are an artist with original works that are complete, you are highly encouraged to make a standalone post for it.

And when I say incomplete, I do mean literally anything that you wouldn't consider a complete illustration or artwork, from basic anatomical sketches and messy perspective exercises to half-rendered paintings. All skill levels are welcome.