# In Praise of Maxfield Parrish

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-maxfield-parrish/169741>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [April 20, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-maxfield-parrish/169741 "2003-04-20T01:00:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-maxfield-parrish/169741/21 "2003-04-21T11:15:20Z")

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I’ve always liked Maxfield Parrish, and I have several of his paintings up around the house.

My favorite is [Day break](http://www.artpassions.net/cgi-bin/show_image.pl?../galleries/parrish/daybreak.jpg). Something about that painting just makes me feel creative.

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**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-maxfield-parrish/169741/22 "2003-04-21T12:51:40Z")

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I mean, I don’t like Charlie Chaplin or Orson Welles, either . . . And of course Norman Rockwell drew all those patriotic, all-American scenes, and you’re a dirty Commie pinko bastard if you object in any way to _those_, of course. But I still think he wasn’t as good an artist as many contemporary magazine illustrators, such as Parrish and Leyendecker, for instance.

I’ll give you the hands—but his perspective is frequently off; his scenes are flat and everyone is posed (bodily and facially) in over-the-top vaudeville gestures—perhaps, on purpose, to “read” from a magazine rack. [here’s](http://www.rockwellsite.com/prints/pag_images.asp?SE=AD) a link. He’s not a bad artist; I just think he’s been over-rated because he was so patriotic, and ubiquitous (sorta like Bob Hope, actually . . …).

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**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-maxfield-parrish/169741/23 "2003-04-21T15:06:47Z")

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Parrish, I learned of through Robert A. Heinlein. Another thing I have to thank him and remember him in my prayers for.

But I’ve got the same perspective on Rockwell as Seriousart. “Saywhaaa?”

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**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-maxfield-parrish/169741/24 "2003-04-21T15:23:14Z")

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I love Parrish’s Old King Cole mural at the King Cole Bar in The St. Regis hotel.

Trivia: This the bar where the Bloody Mary was originally created!

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**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-maxfield-parrish/169741/25 "2003-04-21T15:31:07Z")

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I love Parrish - I have a poster of his “[Sunrise](http://virtualart.admin.tomsk.ru/parrish/p-parris38.htm)” on the wall behind me in my office.

I love it - it’s just so peaceful!

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