His already steady appearances in the pages of the Saturday Evening Post increased in frequency that year. As well, his picture design became extremely confident and impactful. Here was Buckham at the top of his game.
The influence of his up-close exposure to Cooper's best (Whitmore, DeMers, Bowler) is apparent in the stylistic nuances of this more mature work.
And of course, always there was a tip of the hat to the great innovator: Al Parker. (Click that link to see what I mean)
The 1950's Cooper Studio boy/girl style of romance illustration is sometimes (somewhat derisively) called the 'Big Head' style - in its ultimate form it is stripped down to this: no background or props, just a man and woman's heads (and sometimes hands) interacting in an interesting manner. In this July 1957 example Buckham shows us how he had mastered the art of the 'Big Head' style.
* Many thanks to TI list member Sean Phillips who supplied all of the scans for this post.
* My Lynn Buckham Flickr set.
Nice to see Sean Phillips is a TI list member. It's evident in his brilliant work (especially in his Criminal covers and in the artwork for the Pulp appreciation backups) that he's a fan of many of the artists featured on this blog. Keep up the great work, all!
ReplyDeleteGood heavens ... I cannot thank you ENOUGH for having this blog. I've just stumbled upon it and am absolutely bouncing off the walls with excitement. This is PRECISELY the sort of blog I've been searching for!! Thank you so so much and PLEASE KEEP IT UP!!
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