The American Illustrators Hall of Fame: America the Beautiful

Nature has spread for us a rich and delightful banquet. We are still in Eden,” said Thomas Cole, the first great American landscape painter. Post artists have taken stock in that Edenic scenario. They’ve captured the grandeur of mountain majesties and the fruits of the fruited plains, and they haven’t forgotten the amber waves of grain or the diamond deserts, either.

But things aren’t always hunky-dory in paradise — especially when you are counting on it to be that way. The tent you and the family set up to enjoy the forest primeval can have a mind of its own. A little lightning can crash a delightful beach party, and that gorgeous ocean view can come too close for comfort. Our roaming artists have captured these scenes and more, as they portray the natural wonders of traveling America. We invite you to grab some sunscreen and mosquito spray and come along for the ride!

Click thumbnails to view gallery.

: Ben Prins
Thunderstorm at the Shore
1954

: George Hughes
Rain on the Boardwalk
1955

: Gertrude Alice Kay
Oceanside Picnic
1939

: John Clymer
Gloucester Harbor
1959

: John Clymer
Pacific Ocean Sunset
1957

: John Clymer
Rocky Mountain Fly Fishing
1956

: Thornton Utz
Making Camp
1958

2 Comments

June 29, 2009

2 Comments ( Post a Comment )

Jesuit

Posted July 27, 2009 at 2:51 pm | Permalink

Clymer’s “Rocky Mountain Fly Fishing” reminds me of the time I went fly fishing with a guy who brought along a Maxwell House can full of worms.
When I asked him what he planned on doing with such inappropriate bait, he replied that the worms weren’t bait; they were food. And he would soon eat them–so he could better think like a fish.
Steve M

Posted August 21, 2009 at 11:12 am | Permalink

Great July/ August cover! Please identify the artist. Thanks so much. Steve NYC

Artists

America’s Artist

Norman Rockwell didn’t create his celebrated images using only brush and paint. They often took shape first as scenes that Rockwell literally acted out. Showing their appreciation for his storytelling talents, film directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg share their private Rockwell collections with the Smithsonian for the upcoming exhibit Telling Stories.