THE ART AND FLAIR OF MARY BLAIR

 

 

Academy Member Recommended:

"Academy Award-winning animator/historian John Canemaker examines the life and work of one of the great but unsung artists of the classic Disney cartoons. Walt Disney once called Mary Blair the greatest artist in his studio. Her design sense guided and influenced the Disney style through the mid-20th century, and still inspires animators today."  - Tom Sito (Animator)

For more than a dozen years, a soft spoken, unassuming woman dominated design at The Walt Disney Studios with a joyful creativity and exuberant color palette that stamped the look of many classic Disney animated features, including Cinderella and PeterPan.

Favorite theme park attractions, most notably the It's A Small World boat ride, originally created for the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, were also among her designs. Now the story behind one of Walt's favorite artists is celebrated in this delightful volume of whimsical art and insightful commentary. In her prime, Mary Blair was an amazingly prolific American artist who enlivened and influenced the not-so-small worlds of film, print, theme parks, architectural decor, and advertising. Her art represented and communicated pure pleasure to the viewer.

Mary Blair's personal flair was at one with the imagery that flowed effortlessly and continually from her brush for more than half a century. Walt Disney loved her art and championed it at the Studio. The two shared many sensibilities, including a childlike fondness for playfulness in imagery.

 

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About the Author

JOHN CANEMAKER is an Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning animation filmmaker, and a tenured professor and director of the film animation program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He has written numerous books on animation. Canemaker has contributed more than one hundred related essays, reviews, and articles to periodicals, including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal. He lives in New York City and Bridgehampton.

Product details
ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1423127447
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Disney Editions; Updated edition (May 20, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781423127444
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1423127444
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.65 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.88 x 0.5 x 10.38 inches