"an early 1960s self-portrait as a pitchman"

July 3, 2013 4:18 AM

The Fine Art of Resilience: Lessons from Stanley Meltzoff

Lure Of The Ocean - The Art Of Stanley Meltzoff
The First Artist To Paint Game Fish True To Form

There are fish painters, and then there are artists. The good ones bring life and color to their subjects, reminding us of the limit-less beauty that lives beneath the sea. The really good ones capture the grace and power of blue-water predators as they streak through their netherworlds. However, the list of artists who can faithfully re-create every oceanic hue in oils, convincingly dribble sunlight across the slenderest of silver ghosts and portray with mesmerizing realism the world's largest game fish as they emerge like magic from the murky depths - well, there is really only one who could ever do that. Welcome to the undersea realm of Stanley Meltzoff, the man who pioneered the world of marine art.

Stanley Meltzoff: Oceans and Other Worlds

Meltzoff was born in Brooklyn and went on to artistic triumphs in a variety of genres. During WWII, he served as correspondent for THE STARS AND STRIPES army newspaper alongside the legendary cartoonist Bill Mauldin. Thereafter he enjoyed success as a commercial artist and illustrator, ornamenting such magazine covers as The Atlantic, The Saturday Evening Post, and Scientific American, among many others.

Stanley Meltzoff

His successful career as an illustrator came to an end with the demise of the major magazines. Slowly photography replaced illustration in what was left of the market and at almost sixty Meltzoff struggled to make ends meet. His second career was born out of this struggle and he turned to his love of diving and fishing and began painting the fish he hunted in their natural habitats.

Fallen Soldier
Battle Of Salamis
Bryan's Cross Of Gold Speech
Pulp fiction paperback covers
Cover for The Green Hills Of Earth
Cover for The Currents Of Space
Bluefin #9
The Peaceable Kingdom
Shark #14
Permit #2

posted by the man of twists and turns (1 comment total)

Hot Scandal Brewing

After Meltzoff spent weeks perfecting the colors and composition, some moron from the marketing department decided LIFE might sell a few extra copies by slapping a bright yellow banner across the painting promising a "hot scandal."

posted by the man of twists and turns at 5:51 AM on July 3, 2013