Sunday 30 December 2012

Investing In Howard Terpning Prints

By Doris Rivas


Few things can liven up a room like a colorful picture can. If you want either a Western or a Hollywood theme, you can't go wrong with a painting by one of the foremost painters in these genres, a painter who is referred to as the Storyteller of the Native American people. In 2006, his painting 'Search for the Renegades' sold for more than $1.4 million. Since this is much more than most people can afford, an alternative is to invest in Howard Terpning prints.

The Illinois-born artist grew up in the Midwestern states of Illinois, Missouri, Texas and Iowa. From 1945 to 1946 he spent time in the Marines. When he returned to civilian life, he enrolled at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, paying for his classes by using the GI Bill. Two years later he enrolled for a six-month course at Chicago's American Academy of Art to hone his skills even further.

After completing his studies, Terpning worked as an apprentice for the illustrator Haddon Sundblom. A period of working first in Milwaukee and then in New York City followed. By the early 1960s, he was working as freelance illustrator.

In his career as freelance illustrator, the artist took on commissions for various prestigious publications, including Newsweek and Time magazines. He also worked for Reader's Digest, Good Housekeeping as well as Ladies' Home Journal, among various other publications. His work included illustrating stories and cover art, but also the artwork for advertisements.

You may know Terpning's art already, even if you don't realize it. He created the illustrations for more than eighty classic Hollywood film posters. These include the posters for 'The Guns of Navarone', 'Doctor Zhivago', 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Cleopatra'. The enduring image of Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and the children on the poster for 'The Sound of Music' is this artist's work too.

In 1967, during war in Vietnam, the artist decided to give up life on the East Coast for a while. He went to live with the Marines stationed in Vietnam and created six paintings with his impressions of the month he spent with them as civilian combat artist. These paintings are now in the National Museum of the Marine Corps and in 2008, the artist was honored with a place in the Marine Corps Combat Artist Hall of Fame.

In the 1970s, Terpning decided to focus on fine art instead of working as commercial artist. He was greatly interested in the Plains Indians and the American West as themes. After selling some paintings to Western art galleries, he moved to Arizona to focus entirely on creating paintings representing the American West. Soon he was elected to the Cowboy Artists of America as well as the National Academy of Western Art. In his career, he has won numerous awards, among them forty-two awards in the period from 1980 to 2002 when he was an active member of the Cowboy Artists of America. He has also been honored by Native American tribes for his work in presenting their history.

You can see the artist's work in museums, including the National Portrait Gallery, the Smithsonian Institution and the Phoenix Art Museum. However, if you want a particular painting the original is not available, you will find many Howard Terpning prints for sale at galleries, especially those that specialize in Western art. Prints of his movie posters are available too, from any outlet that sells classic Hollywood posters. Of course, if you cannot find a gallery or shop that sells what you want, you will also be able to order prints online.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment