William Andrew Pogany (born Vilmos András Pogány; August 24, 1882 – July 30, 1955) was a prolific Hungarian

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complic ...

children's A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person young ...

and other books. His contemporaries include C. Coles Phillips,

Joseph Clement Coll Joseph Clement Coll (July 2, 1881 – October 19, 1921) was an American book and newspaper illustrator. He was known for his pen and ink story illustrations that were used to illustrate adventure stories such as Conan Doyle's ''Sir Nigel''. Early ...

Edmund Dulac Edmund Dulac (born Edmond Dulac; 22 October 1882 – 25 May 1953) was a French-British naturalised magazine illustrator, book illustrator and stamp designer. Born in Toulouse he studied law but later turned to the study of art at the École ...

Harvey Dunn Harvey Thomas Dunn NA (March 8, 1884 – October 29, 1952) was an American painter and teacher. He is best known for his prairie-intimate masterpiece, ''The Prairie is My Garden'' (1950). In this painting, a mother and her two children ar ...

, Walter Hunt Everett, Harry Rountree,

Sarah Stilwell Weber Sarah Stilwell Weber (1878 – April 6, 1939) was an American illustrator who studied at Drexel Institute under Howard Pyle. She illustrated books and national magazines, like ''The Saturday Evening Post'', '' Vogue'', and ''The Century Magazine ...

, and N.C. Wyeth. He is best known for his pen and ink drawings of myths and fables. A large portion of Pogany's work is described as

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

. Pogany's artistic style is heavily fairy-tale orientated and often feature motifs of mythical animals such as nymphs and pixies. He paid great attention to botanical details. He used dreamy and warm pastel scenes with watercolors, oil paintings, and especially pen and ink.

Background

Pogany was born in

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also other alternative names) is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat of Csongrád-Csanád county. The University of Szeged is one of the m ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. He studied at Budapest Technical University and in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. He spent his early childhood with his brothers and sisters in a large farmhouse full of chickens, ducks, geese, dogs, pigs, and horses. When he was six, his parents took him to Budapest where he would later be sent to school. He had early ambitions on becoming an engineer in the hopes of looking after his mother after his father died. He especially liked to row and to play soccer. In his spare time, he drew pictures and painted. He enjoyed painting and drawing so much he decided to be an artist. He attended Budapest Technical School for less than a year, during this time he took art classes for six weeks. He sold his first painting to a wealthy patron for $24. He spent his early twenties attending art school and would later travel to Munich, Paris, and London before coming to the United States in 1914. When Pogany went to Paris to study and paint, he was unable to secure much attention or income, was often poor and went hungry. Pogany spent two years in Paris. When he finally saved up some money from his work, he left Paris to go to London. In 1906,

Arthur Rackham Arthur Rackham (19 September 1867 – 6 September 1939) was an English book illustrator. He is recognised as one of the leading figures during the Golden Age of British book illustration. His work is noted for its robust pen and ink drawings, ...

's ''Rip Van Winkle'' gained massive popularity, sparking a demand for artists in London. At this point Pogany was hired to provide the design For ''The Welsh Fairy Book'' by

T. Fisher Unwin T. Fisher Unwin was the London publishing house founded by Thomas Fisher Unwin, husband of British Liberal politician Jane Cobden in 1882. Unwin was a co-founder of the Johnson Club, formed 13 September 1884, to mark the hundred years since th ...

, including over 100 plates, illustrations, vignettes, chapter heads and tails, and initials. He also did 48 illustrations for ''Milly and Olly'', 70 for ''The Adventures of a Dodo'' and 39 for ''Faust''. After ten years in London, Pogany emigrated to America. Besides book illustration, pictures, mural paintings, portraits, etchings, and sculptures, Pogany became interested in theatre and designed stage settings and costumes for different shows and the Metropolitan Opera House. He eventually moved to Hollywood to serve as an art director for several film studios during the 1930s and 1940s.

Career

In London, he crafted his quartet of masterpieces: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1910), Tannhauser (1911), Parsifal (1912) and Lohengrin (1913). Each of these was designed completely by Pogany, from the covers and endpapers to the text written in pen and ink, pencil, wash, color and tipped-on plates. The Ancient Mariner, a large book 9.5" by 11.75". is recognized as his masterpiece. Each page has at least two colors, sometimes with gilt plate accompanied by intricate borders. The initials are elaborate, starting each page and with ornate capitals at the beginning of every line. The illuminated title page, 18 color plates, the second color through black-and-white plates, the flowing calligraphic text, and the pen-and-ink drawings throughout the pages make this a stand out among Pogany's works. The Rime's beauty is accentuated by its soft ivory paper and subtle lavender borders. The three gray stocks on Wagner's book add depth towards his presentation. In Lohengrin, Pogany set his soft color pencil drawings against the grays. In Tannhauser, Pogany used paper color for further additional dimension. From soft pastel pencil drawings to watercolor paintings and pen and ink, Pogany utilized a variety of media in his illustrations. Pogany's beautiful and bizarre illustrations for

Padraic Colum Padraic Colum (8 December 1881 – 11 January 1972) was an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, biographer, playwright, children's author and collector of folklore. He was one of the leading figures of the Irish Literary Revival. Early life Col ...

's The King of Ireland's Son use brilliant color and startlingly modern styles of seeing to show the magical journey of the hero, his beloved Fedelma and the second hero Flann. A horse-headed giant has the great patient head of a Clydesdale plough horse; a girl bathes naked while the hero steals the swan skin that would allow her to transform and take flight, the young man leads a fine steed with Fedelma mounted on it as they are attacked by a cloud of crows – strange, dreamy, beautiful images. Pogany worked as an

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

on several Hollywood films, including ''

Fashions of 1934 ''Fashions of 1934'' is a 1934 American pre-Code musical comedy film directed by William Dieterle with musical numbers created and directed by Busby Berkeley. The screenplay by F. Hugh Herbert and Carl Erickson was based on the story ''The Fash ...

'' and ''

Dames ''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the British honours system and those of several other Commonwealth realms, such as Australia and New Zeala ...

''. He began his involvement in motion picture set design in 1924 and worked in film until the end of the 1930s. He was commissioned by

John Ringling John Nicholas Ringling (May 31, 1866 – December 2, 1936) was an American entrepreneur who is the best known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Bros World's Greatest Sho ...

, Ettenger, Reiner and William Randolph Hearst's Wyntoon Estate, painted for the Barrymore family, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.,

Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in screwball comedies. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard 2 ...

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...

Miriam Hopkins Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an American actress known for her versatility. She first signed with Paramount Pictures in 1930. Her best-known roles included a pickpocket in Ernst Lubitsch's romantic comedy '' T ...

, and many others. Pogany was awarded gold medals in Budapest and Leipzig Expo as well as the London Masonic Medal, and became a Fellow of the London Royal Society of Art. The New York Society of Architects gave him a silver medal for his mural in the August Heckscher's Children's Theatre showing Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Jack in the Beanstalk. He won a gold medal in 1915 at the Panama Pacific Expo for his work The ValCares. and was also awarded the Hungarian Silver Blue Medal. In 1914, Pogany's illustrations appeared on the cover of Metropolitan Magazine, Ladies Home Journal, Harper's Weekly, Hearst's Town and Country, Theatre Magazine and American Weekly. In 1917 to 1921, he worked for the Metropolitan Opera designing sketches, scenery and costumes. In 1918 he illustrated a children's retelling of

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

, ''The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy'' written by

Lawsuit

In his 1952

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

''Witness'',

Whittaker Chambers Whittaker Chambers (born Jay Vivian Chambers; April 1, 1901 – July 9, 1961) was an American writer-editor, who, after early years as a Workers Party of America, Communist Party member (1925) and Soviet Union, Soviet spy (1932–1938), defe ...

described "Willi Pogany" ("long a scene designer at the Metropolitan Opera House") as the brother of Joseph Pogany. Willy Pogany sued Chambers for $1 million but lost in court and appeals. According to ''Time'' magazine, "A lower court had found that Chambers, in his mistaken identification, had not maliciously implied that Willy was closely associated with 'a Communist leader and spy'," who had been "once (until

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

liquidated him) Communist Hungary's puppet Commissar of War."

Personal life

Pogany married Lillian Rose Doris in 1908 in London, and had two sons with her: Peter and John Pogany. They moved to New York City in 1914 and he was naturalized in 1921. In 1933 they divorced. The following year, he married writer Elaine Cox. He died in New York City on July 30, 1955. Asked how his name was pronounced, he told the ''

Literary Digest ''The Literary Digest'' was an influential American general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, ''Public Opinion'' and '' Current ...

'' that in America it was po-GAH-ny. "However, in my native Hungary this name is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable with a slightly shorter ''o'' and the ''gany'' is as the French ''-gagne'' (the ''y'' is silent)": PO-gahn. Funk, Charles Earle (1936) ''What's the Name, Please?''. New York: Funk & Wagnalls

Works

Pogany's public art appears on walls of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (formerly Ringling Mansion) in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The c ...

, in New York City at the

El Museo del Barrio El Museo del Barrio, often known simply as El Museo (the museum), is a museum at 1230 Fifth Avenue in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is located near the northern end of Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile, immediately north of the Museum of the City ...

theater (1230 Fifth Avenue), P.S. 43

Jonas Bronck Jonas Bronck (alternatively Jonas Jonsson Brunk, Jonas Jonasson Bronk, or Jonas Jonassen Bronck) was born around year 1600 and died in 1643. Bronck was an immigrant to the Dutch colony of New Netherland after whom the Bronx River, and by extensio ...

in Mott Haven, and the

Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (formerly the Royale Theatre and the John Golden Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 242 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theat ...

(45th Street) and in The Strand Theatre at The Appell Center for the Performing Arts in York, PA. Written or illustrated by Pogany: *Kunos, I. - ''Turkish Fairy Tales'', Burt 1901 *Farrow, G. E. - ''The Adventures of a Dodo'', Unwin 1907 *Thomas, W. J. - ''The Welsh Fairy Book'', Unwin 1907 *Ward, M. A. - ''Milly and Olly'', Unwin 1907 *Edgar, M. G. A - ''Treasury of Verse for Little Children'', Harrap 1908 *Goethe, J. W. von - ''Faust'', Hutchinson 1908 *Dasent, G. W. - ''Norse Wonder Tales'', Collins, 1909 *Hawthorne, N. - ''Tanglewood Tales'', Unwin, 1909 *''The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam'', Harrap 1909 *Coleridge, S. T. - ''The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'', Harrap 1910 * Gask, L. - ''Folk Tales from Many Lands'', Harrap 1910 *Young, G. - ''The Witch s Kitchen'', Harrap 1910 *Wagner, R. - ''Tannhauser'', Harrap, 1911 * Gask, L. - ''The Fairies and the Christmas Child'', Harrap 1912 *Wagner, H. - ''Parsifal'', Harrap 1912 *Heine, H. - ''Alta Troll'', Sidgwick 1913 *Kunos, I. - ''Forty-Four Turkish Fairy Tales'', Harrap 1913 *Pogany, W. - ''The Hungarian Fairy Book'', Unwin 1913 *Wagner, R. - ''The Tale of Lohengrin'', Harrap 1913 *Pogany, W. - ''Children'', Harrap 1914 *''A Series of Books for Children'', Harrap 1915 *''More Tales from the Arabian Nights'', Holt 1915 *Colum, P. - ''The King of Ireland's Son'', Holt 1916 *Swift, J. - ''Gulliver's Travels'', Macmillan 1917 *Bryant, S. C. - ''Stories to Tell the Little Ones'', Harrap 1918 *Colum, P. - ''Adventures of Odysseus'', Macmillan 1918 *Olcutt, F. J. - ''Tales of the Persian Genii'', Harrap 1919 *Skinner, E. L. - ''Children's Plays'', Appleton 1919 *Elias, E. - ''Red Riding Hood'', Holt 1920 *''The Children of Odin'', Harrap 1922 *''The Adventures of Haroun El Raschid'', Holt 1923 *Newman, I. - ''Fairy Flowers'', Milford 1926 *Flanders, H. H. - ''Looking Out of Jimmie,'' Dent 1928 *Carroll, L. - ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'', Dutton 1929 *Pogany, W. - ''Mother Goose'', Nelson 1929 *Anthony, J. - ''Casanova Jones'', Century 1930 *Pogany, W. - ''Magyar Fairy Tales'', Dutton 1930 *Burton, R. F. - ''The Kasidah of Haji Abdu El-Yezdi'', McKay 1931 *Arnold, E. - ''The Light of Asia'', 1932 * Arnold, E. - ''The Song Celestial or Bhagavad-Gita'', 1934 *Huffard, G. T. - ''My Poetry Book'', Winston 1934 *Pushkin, A. - ''The Golden Cockerel'', Nelson 1938 *Pogany, Elaine - ''Peterkin'', 1940 *Paula Pogany Bennett - ''The Art Of Hungarian Cooking'', 1954 He illustrated more than 150 volumes, including: *The Adventures of Odysseus *The Tale of Troy * The Children of Odin *The Golden Fleece * The King of Ireland's Son *

Gulliver's Travels ''Gulliver's Travels'', or ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'' is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan ...

*Bible Stories to Read and Tell *Little Tailor of the Winding Way *Tisza Tales *The Treasure of Verse for Little Children *Magyar Fairy Tales *Drawing Lessons *The Art of Drawing *Story of Hiawatha (c.1914) Pogany wrote three instructional books: ''Willy Pogany's Drawing Lessons'', ''Willy Pogany's Oil Painting Lessons'', and ''Willy Pogany's Water Color Lessons, Including Gouache''. He completed them at the end of his final years in New York.

Background

Career

Lawsuit

Personal life

Works

References

External links