I LOVE the work of Kay Nielson! Years ago, I bought a reprint of "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." I was entranced by those illustrations, and I remain in love with his work! Thanks for this video. How very sad that he died in poverty.
Beautifully done! I had never heard of Mr. Nielsen before and am glad to be so educated. Narration was so informative as well as the artistic presentation! Thanks much.
Disney has so much to answer for. I recently read all the Mary Poppins books for the first time. Highly recommended. And was aghast at just how much depth and beauty had been lost in the film production. We should deeply value our own European/British heritages. Thank you for the work you do.
Thanks a lot for your comment, and just to follow on with your theme there are few things that make my blood pressure soar more than what Disney did to Winnie the Pooh and Shepard's original drawings. Don't get me started on Alice either...
As a child my grandmother's attic was a treasure-trove of magazines from the 1920's and 30's which I would poor over mesmerized and slowly learn to read 😃 Thanks from old New Orleans 😇
One of my absolute favorites! I am lucky enough to have inherited my grandmother's childhood book East of The Sun and West of The Moon (I did not realize it ws an limted edition!!) and The Twelve Dancing Princesses filled with his illustrations! Thank you for another lovely video!!
one of the best youtube channels I subscribe too. I have seen a few artists I actually recognized, but the vast majority are new to me and I really love seeing their works and learning of their lives.
Always one of my favorite artists… when I taught a class on fairytales, a large majority of my students chose him as their favorite illustrator … sensational video- thanks very much!
Thanks a lot for your appreciation, and I think it's a wonderful thing that his work - and that of his contemporaries - can still speak to the young more than a century later.
Thank you yet again, Mr. Beard, great video. Nielsen's detailed, fanciful work is a joy to behold. Beautifully posed characters, fantastical settings and precise fabric drapery all create a stunning, finished perfection.
Another very excellent video, Pete. As education goes this is the best I've ever had. I particularly enjoyed Neilson's Beardly style of illustration. Thanks.
Hi Pete, I did comment, but it was like deja vu in praising what you have produced and the awesome talent of the illustrators that present on your channel. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful work. I wonder how much work gets lost because of our collective ignorance of what art means to us all. One thing the Masters of this time did was to imbue the art with authenticity as to the energies & tribulations of the time even if woven into tales, myths of our collective past. This work reminds me of Marie Laurencin, in this regards, a French artist who showed the crystalline energies overlayed by the greys of the etheric layers that foretold of the coming war. Art speaks of so much more to those who see, with the vision of the other senses. Kay stayed true to his work, purpose.
When I was a child, I watched a TV show after school that had episodes of fairytales. Nielsen's artwork was used for the one about the Snow Queen, East of the Sun and West of the Moon and the Russian tale of the Firebird. Even at 8 years old, I was in love with his illustrations and remain so to this day.
@@petebeard I seem to always find your stuff late. I guess because I subscribe to a lot of channels, I miss a lot of new posts, but I usually catch up in the end.;
His work is magnificent! I only knew very few of his illustrations beforehand, now, after seeing so many I'm in love, and in awe, and enchanted. Thank you very much for this video and all the work you put in.
Thanks for making this video!! Ever since I discovered his work, he has been one of my favorites, if not my favorite illustrator. I was happy that I managed to go to the only exhibition I knew of in Boston a few years back and get my hands on a copy of Powder and Crinoline. These are absolutely fantastic works.
Thanks to you for your appreiation and comment. I'm very pleased that you are an admirer of his work. The earlier illustrations - and particularly Hamlet - are breathtaking. I wish he had done a lot more Shakespeare.
Wonderful overview! It's always strange to hear about great artists achieving modest success in their lifetimes, then falling out of fashion and dying in poverty, and then having their work recognized again after their deaths. It makes you see how arbitrary aesthetic trends are.
Thank you so much for this. Nielson's later work was a true revelation. Also, the monographs were very fresh to see. I have missed being immersed in romantic / art nouveau illustration (those years for me were around the mid-late 80s) however your video helps open that door again. Keep up the good work.
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation. My own interest in that aspect of llustration (I'm more a humorous illustration fan) didn't really get restored until I started making these videos
A beautiful presentation. It should be noted that in the end credits of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" they do give credit to Kay Nielsen as a visual development artist.
@petebeard In a way, it does. The new guard at Disney who witnessed the renaissance of Kay Nielsen in the 1970s and 80s (like I did), knew of his rich contributions and wanted to pay homage albeit posthumously.
I being obssesed with your videos the past few days, i'm a illustration student and i can't express with words how grateful i am to get all this information about the greatest artist. They really help me to understand their lifes and styles, to keep in touch with art outside the modern one. Thank you so much!! 💕and i love Kay Nielsen he is incredible :)
Hello and thanks a lot for your appreciation of the channel and content. I'm very glad that you are inspired by the great illustrators of th past, and wish more illustration students felt the same way.
What wonderful fascinating channel you have created, a joy to watch. I'm working my way though my favourite illustrators and dome that I had not known of before. Thank you.
I appreciated this video so much, I have had a reproduction of his work (the one at 12:40) since I was a teen, I love to see others of his works. Thank you for this channel.
Since I usually watch your videos several times this is a lovely update. Kai it is then in my mind. Glad you got that sorted, YT seems to be enforcing many "rules" they didn't seem to have before from what I see in other creatives here. Thank you for all you do, this video is fantastic and Nielsen's life could be a drama for cinema or TV. Never mind his work is beautiful. I'm partial to the dark works myself.
Thanks a lot for your positive response to the video, and the channel in general. I really wish there was a viable alternative to youtube, but sadly other platforms have nothing like the same reach.
It feels like a connection between ancient Granada and the 'North Shores' of Europe. I have no words for the beauty of it but I love to add my gratefulness. All the Best.
I stumbled upon your channel about 2 weeks ago and I'm absolutely riveted going through, in order, the unsung series...the time, care and honor you put into this work is remarkable in of itself...your voice is the one I want to hear narrating my life and times... thank you
Welcome to the channel, and I'm delighted you consider the channel a worthwhile way to spend some time. And regarding voices i took a look at some of your music videos - very nice stuff, and to this old man at least well chosen material.
No matter where a Kay Nielsen illustration is set (Europe, the Middle or Far East, the Frozen North), I will always and forever associate them with winter. There's just something so cozy about the lush images with their vivid, slightly muted, colors that call to mind being tucked into a warm bed on a particularly chilly night as a child, staying up late to read, by the flashlight's light, your favorite book of fairy tales.
Thanks a lot for your comment, and I know what you mean about the wintery mood of his work. I must admit that on a personal level I do find his work to be generally cold and lacking in emotion. That might be a factor too.
All ways you have no idea how many wonderful artist you have introduced me too. always looking forward to your updates. we appreciate your hard work :) @@petebeard
My mom has had a Kay Nielsen painting for the entire time I've been alive. It's the one with the knight and the girl, with the face-shield on the side at 12:40. Edit: just looked it up. It's from 'The Lassie and her Godmother' and it's one of his most reproduced.
Thank you so much, for your wonderful video content and for the time it takes. Am learning so much more of Illustrators and their work, a much underestimated art form. Feel so many different emotions, pleasure, astonishment and awe at such perfectly expressive talent. Always loved Nielsen’s illustration of Fairy tales. 😊❤
Excellent Pete. Out of all the individual artist videos you have done, this might be my favourite. His work is absolutely mesmerizing. I will admit though, I hadn't heard of him before - but that's why I'm watching your videos in the first place. I would be curious what kind of time it would have taken him to produce some of these illustrations. Thanks for putting this one up, it actually made my day a bit better.
Many thanks for your appreciation and I'm glad you are discovering the work of these great past illustrators through the channel. Sadly, I can shine no light on how long such an image might take, other than to say ot had to be several days - maybe even a working week. I can find no information about it.
Hello again. I can't believe I've never seen this artists' work. It's incredibly beautiful; dark and delicate. The details and combination of styles fit perfectly. I have loved Maxfield Parrish since I was 16. I've been collecting books and 1920s prints for decades. I love art nouveau and deco. I would have been looking for these prints as well. I'm looking through his art online, it's all wonderful. Thank you so very much for making this video.
Hello to you, and many thanks for your generous appreciation of the channel. Forgive me the shameless plug but in case you weren't aware of it there's a video about Parrish on the channel too, as well as quite a few others of these romantically inclined golden age illustrators.
For ages I’ve had a book of his Arabian Nights illustrations and shamelessly admit to having attempted to copy his style in some of my own work. Never got close to his genius, though. His paintings are not only exquisite, but they have that otherworldly melancholy which is so appealing.
Thanks a lot for your comment. There are others - Harry Clarke, John Austen and of course the root of them all Aubrey Beardsley, with similar approaches.
I was wondering if the reason behind the limited editions was the use of artisans to apply hand finished to the prints, since there appears to be no attempt to produce later mass market editions, or was it strictly a marketing idea? The image at 5:17, reminiscent of Klimt's The Kiss, made it onto the cover of a music album, but I can't recall it's name, so the artwork must have circulated even if the book it was intended for did not get published. It would make a magnificent poster.
Hello and I apologise for you needing to put this comment up twice - I just didn't get time to respond before I deleted the first version. Anyway, I understand (but don't know for sure) that the limited edition nature of the books was due to the impossibility of mass producing them, and I think this was a deliberate ploy to give them considerably more value and persuade collectors they were art rather than mere illustrated books. That he signed them is a bit of a giveaway too. And although it wasnt me who discovered it but a viewer whose name I can't recall the album was Burning the Ballroom Down by the Amazing Rhythm Aces.
They all had a trade edition, unsigned, sometime after the limited edition. I had the orange cover East of the Sun... which fetched a tidy sum many years ago.
Captivating! Maybe, as you mention, he amalgamated many populat styles of his time, in his work, yet there is (certainly to my eyes) a uniqueness about his art that sets him way apart. I did not know that Fantasia had not been successful initially - it remains one of the best, if not the best, Disney films. How trsgic, that this man who cteated such exquisite wirk should have died relatively unappreciated. I am enchanted by every image and could spend ages admiring every picture. Thank you
Thanks again, and I'm pleased that you found Nielsen's work interesting. He's certainly one of the most fascinating illustrators I've covered but I can't shake the impression that in many ways he was the architect of his own ultimate downfall. Mind you, they'll probably say the same about me - if they say anything at all, that is.
@@petebeard Andy Warhol’s 15 minutes of fame for everyone seems an interesting forecast of the tawdry fame achieved by “influencers” or participants in big brother type tv offerings. Fame, as you have shown so impressively, can be terribly fleeting. Voltaire (in “Candide”) says “Life is bristling with thorns , and I know no other remedy than to cultivate one’s garden”. This has been interpreted as our inability to change the course of events ultimately - focus on tending one’s own life and finding joy in simple pleasures being the solution. Certainly in your case, you have, if the numerous comments are anything to go by, kindled an interest in and an appreciation of illustrators that did not exist before in this shape and form, Pete Beard will certainly be remembered and talked about. But rather than that, revel in the thought that you are arousing interest in something that is close to your heart in a pretty large number of people. I really think that’s something to be proud of.
Thank you for the wonderful and very informative video. The orientalist style images was actually published, in my great great grandfathers (Johannes Østrup) danish translation of "A thousand and one nights" I recently bought a copy of his illustrations from the book label Taschen. I love Kay Nielsen
Min 13:37 says it all, it isn't about to enjoy drawing, it's all about " the best drawing to accomplish a crazy dead line ", and this is the reason why a lot of great illustrators run away from advertising and communication industries.....the team behaviour is another ingridient....
Hello again, and what little information there is strongly suggests he was not a team player and was used to getting his own way. If I had been him I would have just been grateful that Disney tried to save me from financial disaster. But that's just my point of view.
Hello and thanks a lot for your comments about this video and Nielsen's remarkable body of work. I hope you will find others on the channel that are of interest to you.
What struck me as running through almost all of his works presented is the verticality of them. At first I thought the shape of a page might be driving it, but it mainly stuck through in the few landscape images.
Interesting observation, and something I hadn't noticed - or at least not consciously. Thanks a lot for your comment. Something he inherited via Beardsley, maybe?
C/P comment thx to a few 'likes' which put it in my notifications (and my vanity). The blending of surreal vision with disciplined craftsmanship is in my view, perfect. I wonder if you didn't answer your own question. Nielsen may have developed into an 'artiste terrible', which is common enough. Maybe he would have been better served by taking authorship and presented completed works to publishing houses and studios to negotiate terms (another learning curve in and of itself).
Thanks a lot for re-uploading your comment, and my apologies for making it necessary. I must say I read wildly conflicting accounts of his character, ranging from quietly heroic and sensitive through to resentful prima donna. But it is a mystery that he seems to have chosen to leave book work behind, and I can't help but think his refusal to compomise was at the heart of his downfall.
@@petebeard We still have something from him, that's more than most. I love this channel and will do whatever I can to help it grow. Thank you Peter Beard.
Nielsen was one of my heros when in art school in the early 70's but the other students hardly know who he was. Alfonse Mucha and Gustav Klimt were all the rage with them but I preferred Nielsen and Schiele. My designs were very much inspired by him.
Thanks a lot for your comment, and I'm pleased to say I already have material ready to go for Henry Justice Ford's illustrations. But there isn't the volume to enable me to make a full video about his work so he will be part of the unsung heroes of illustration series, when I return to uploading them in a few month's time.
There is a delicate but detailed refinement in Nielson's illustrations that create the necessary ethereal quality for mythology and fantasy - very appealing to me. Thank you for your work, Mr Beard. Are you an artist yourself?
Many thanks for your appreciation of the channel and Nielsen's remarkable work. And regarding your question I worked as an illustrator of little distinction (but made a living) for four decades, and taught illustration at a university for about 15 years. But since I retired in 2016 it's just this channel that keeps me occupied. Don't expect anything even remotely of the quality of those I feature on the channel but there is a short video of some of my work in poor resolution from that year. Just search for 'Pete Beard Portfolio' and lower your expectations accordingly
@@petebeardThank you for your reply. I took a look at your portfolio and I would say the genre you specialised in is top quality - It has a lot of life and humour. Our taste in art is totally subjective, and illustration supplies art to the commercial world, however what we choose to put on our walls may or may not be good or talented or even valuable - in fact what ends up raising huge prices at auction may be so bad I wouldn't even put it face-to-the-wall in a garden shed. However I can imagine your illustrations raising many a chuckle and smile - and I think that's a gift.
Nielsen's great triumph was that he remained true to himself. Although one can't take fame and fortune beyond death the strength one's genius remains in his works as a witness against popular approvals fickle tarnish...
The difference in illustration and fine art: the customer. There was nothing wrong with his work, any of it, as far as I can see. It was just how it shakes out sometimes. And if I’m being honest, Eyvind Earle’s work on Sleeping Beauty is my favorite of all the old Disney films.
Hello, and to find out a little more about what Nielsen used to create his images go to mutualart.com and search for him by name. They sell original artwork and many of the pieces say what was used to make them and how big they were.
@@ThatOpalGuy I mean, obviously my poor feverish brain is far too addled to grasp it's sheer magnitude!! 🙄Don't be so damn stupid. Of course I might have some idea!
Fascinating and yet sad such a talented man who had no mind to ever change and maybe his dark side had more to do with his life than we know and not just a concept he could not change.
Well I did see it -- and comment -- and even had some comments on my comment. But the Kopyright Kops have gotten out of hand. I have a friend whose video of a stroll through her town's Christmas market was taken down -- because of the background music playing in the market! This kind of thing has gotten so egregious that some police departments have taken to playing screaming loud Top 40 on their car radios when they make a traffic stop to ensure that we-all-know-what-ideology-does-this will get their videos taken down by the Toob! But as to what I said, it ended thus: after Nielsen's treatment of Andersen and the Brothers Grimm I would have loved to see what he would have done with Wagner's "Ring" cycle. Or for that matter Tolkien's!
Thanks a lot for re-replying, and my sincere apologies. I wouldn;t mind so much but youtube are supposed to check for copyright and other issues (nudity, for example) while the video is being processed. I've lost count of how many times this has happened, but it never gets any easier to swallow. And you are right about other works he would have been suited to. r
After the first world War there was a huge lack of paper and the markets were uncertain. That's why the publishers were not willing to print beautiful books for years. The golden age of beautiful illustrated books was over until the year 1930 when😮 Nielsens last gift book Red Magic was published.
the theatrical background of his parents makes so much sense, his work has so much drama and emotion
Hello and that makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the observation
I LOVE the work of Kay Nielson! Years ago, I bought a reprint of "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." I was entranced by those illustrations, and I remain in love with his work! Thanks for this video. How very sad that he died in poverty.
Thanks a lot for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Beautifully done! I had never heard of Mr. Nielsen before and am glad to be so educated. Narration was so informative as well as the artistic presentation! Thanks much.
O@@HappyNatureLover
Disney has so much to answer for. I recently read all the Mary Poppins books for the first time. Highly recommended. And was aghast at just how much depth and beauty had been lost in the film production. We should deeply value our own European/British heritages. Thank you for the work you do.
Thanks a lot for your comment, and just to follow on with your theme there are few things that make my blood pressure soar more than what Disney did to Winnie the Pooh and Shepard's original drawings. Don't get me started on Alice either...
No movie can beat a book ❤
It was a few years ago that I read Mary Poppins. She really isn't a very likeable character, is she. 🤔🤨🤷
Peter Pan and 101 Dalmatians books are also amazing.
I agree that the Disney version of Mary Poppins lost all the magic of the books. I don’t think every lends itself to film.
As a child my grandmother's attic was a treasure-trove of magazines from the 1920's and 30's which I would poor over mesmerized and slowly learn to read 😃 Thanks from old New Orleans 😇
Hello and many thanks for your comment and appreciation.
One of my absolute favorites! I am lucky enough to have inherited my grandmother's childhood book East of The Sun and West of The Moon (I did not realize it ws an limted edition!!) and The Twelve Dancing Princesses filled with his illustrations! Thank you for another lovely video!!
Thanks for your appreciation and comment. I envy you.
As Jurgen Klopp has been known to say....wow...😊😊😊
I loved the Twelve Dancing Princesses as a child. I certainly wish that I could have seen his illustrations.
That's a real treasure you inherited (artistically, I don't care about the monetary value). Lucky you!
We are grateful for all the work you do.
And I'm grateful for your continued appreciation.
one of the best youtube channels I subscribe too. I have seen a few artists I actually recognized, but the vast majority are new to me and I really love seeing their works and learning of their lives.
Always one of my favorite artists… when I taught a class on fairytales, a large majority of my students chose him as their favorite illustrator … sensational video- thanks very much!
Thanks a lot for your appreciation, and I think it's a wonderful thing that his work - and that of his contemporaries - can still speak to the young more than a century later.
One of my top five illustrators, and definitely one with the most heartbreaking story. Thank you for this wonderful video!
Thanks a lot for your comment and I'm pleased you think I did him justice.
Thank you yet again, Mr. Beard, great video. Nielsen's detailed, fanciful work is a joy to behold. Beautifully posed characters, fantastical settings and precise fabric drapery all create a stunning, finished perfection.
Thanks as ever for your comment and favourable response.
So Much detail in his work .. It's Amazing how he produced ALL that he did ...😊...and loosing appreciation.....
Thanks a lot for your comment. When you analyse what goes into each picture it's mindboggling.
Another very excellent video, Pete. As education goes this is the best I've ever had. I particularly enjoyed Neilson's Beardly style of illustration. Thanks.
Thanks for the comment. Amazing how influential Beardsley has been on so many.
@@petebeard And still is
Happy to give it a second view, your presentations are always captivating!
Thanks a lot, and I apologise again for the confusion caused.This got the day off to a bad start, I must say.
I love his work. ❤
Thanks for your comment - glad you enjoyed it.
This is such beautiful and sublime art. Timeless creations.
Thanks a lot for your comment, and I agree completely with your assessment of his work.
Hi Pete, I did comment, but it was like deja vu in praising what you have produced and the awesome talent of the illustrators that present on your channel. Keep up the good work.
Thanks a lot for your understanding, and I confess I deleted the original before I realised the unanswered comments would be forever lost with it.
My original comment: I really feel sad for all those who are not seeing Pete's videos. They really are missing out.
And my original comment:
"Bardzo dziękuję za przedstawiawienie tak wybitnego ilustratora ❤"
@@wojciechbem8661 Jestem bardzo wdzięczny za twoje uznanie i przykro mi, że zgubiłem twój komentarz za pierwszym razem.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful work. I wonder how much work gets lost because of our collective ignorance of what art means to us all. One thing the Masters of this time did was to imbue the art with authenticity as to the energies & tribulations of the time even if woven into tales, myths of our collective past. This work reminds me of Marie Laurencin, in this regards, a French artist who showed the crystalline energies overlayed by the greys of the etheric layers that foretold of the coming war. Art speaks of so much more to those who see, with the vision of the other senses. Kay stayed true to his work, purpose.
Thanks a lot for your comments about Nielsen's work. And I wasn't previously aware of Marie Laurencin so thanks for that too.
Incredible quality of Art ! Wow.. Still enjoying a lot all the artists ! Thanks you for your dedication !!
Thanks as usual for your appreciation - and long term dedication to the channel.
When I was a child, I watched a TV show after school that had episodes of fairytales. Nielsen's artwork was used for the one about the Snow Queen, East of the Sun and West of the Moon and the Russian tale of the Firebird. Even at 8 years old, I was in love with his illustrations and remain so to this day.
Thanks a lot for your comment, and I'm glad that the quality of his images has lodged in your memory.
What a lovely surprise from TH-cam, putting it here for me to see and marvel at! Thank you for this delightful video!
Many thanks for yout appreciation, and I hope you will find more on the channel to enjoy.
I saw those stories and artwork in Bookhouse when I was a kid. I still have the intact set. Loved it then.
Thanks for your comment.
Gorgeous work and a fine video, Pete. I love Kay Nielsen's work. Thanks!
I'm glad you enjoyed it. For reasons that escape me views were poor when I uploaded it but now seem to be rallying.
@@petebeard I seem to always find your stuff late. I guess because I subscribe to a lot of channels, I miss a lot of new posts, but I usually catch up in the end.;
I once saw a wonderful museum show of Nielsen’s work and was struck how small they were. Amazing color and drawing skills, thanks for sharing!
...and thanks for the appreciation again.
His work is magnificent! I only knew very few of his illustrations beforehand, now, after seeing so many I'm in love, and in awe, and enchanted. Thank you very much for this video and all the work you put in.
Many thanks for your comment and appreciation.
Thank you for highlighting such an amazing illustrator, beautiful art, much appreciated.
Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed his work.
I was reminded of Disney's Sleeping beauty by his first set of work, amazing.
Thanks a lot for your comment.
Thanks for making this video!! Ever since I discovered his work, he has been one of my favorites, if not my favorite illustrator. I was happy that I managed to go to the only exhibition I knew of in Boston a few years back and get my hands on a copy of Powder and Crinoline. These are absolutely fantastic works.
Thanks to you for your appreiation and comment. I'm very pleased that you are an admirer of his work. The earlier illustrations - and particularly Hamlet - are breathtaking. I wish he had done a lot more Shakespeare.
I am happy to watch once more.
Thanks a lot, and I apologise for the confusion caused.
I have had the joy of seeing drawings by the line drawings of the afore-mentioned artist, not neilson’s.
Wonderful overview! It's always strange to hear about great artists achieving modest success in their lifetimes, then falling out of fashion and dying in poverty, and then having their work recognized again after their deaths. It makes you see how arbitrary aesthetic trends are.
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation. I've lost count of those I've covered who had a similar fate.
Thank you so much for this. Nielson's later work was a true revelation. Also, the monographs were very fresh to see. I have missed being immersed in romantic / art nouveau illustration (those years for me were around the mid-late 80s) however your video helps open that door again. Keep up the good work.
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation. My own interest in that aspect of llustration (I'm more a humorous illustration fan) didn't really get restored until I started making these videos
I always look forward to a Pete Beard video and this one was just great. Many thanks.
Many thanks for your appreciation. It means a lot.
Top notch...😊😊
A beautiful presentation. It should be noted that in the end credits of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" they do give credit to Kay Nielsen as a visual development artist.
Thanks a lot for your comment. I can't decide whether that paints them in a better light or not, but I'm grateful for the information.
@petebeard In a way, it does. The new guard at Disney who witnessed the renaissance of Kay Nielsen in the 1970s and 80s (like I did), knew of his rich contributions and wanted to pay homage albeit posthumously.
Nielsen is one of my favourites so I don't mind re-watching this at all. Keep going! 👍
That;s very generous of you - thanks a lot.
I being obssesed with your videos the past few days, i'm a illustration student and i can't express with words how grateful i am to get all this information about the greatest artist. They really help me to understand their lifes and styles, to keep in touch with art outside the modern one. Thank you so much!! 💕and i love Kay Nielsen he is incredible :)
Hello and thanks a lot for your appreciation of the channel and content. I'm very glad that you are inspired by the great illustrators of th past, and wish more illustration students felt the same way.
What wonderful fascinating channel you have created, a joy to watch. I'm working my way though my favourite illustrators and dome that I had not known of before. Thank you.
Hello and welcome to the channel. I very much hope you continued to find content that's of ibterest to you.
Pete, thank you for this remarkable presentation of a sublime artist.
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation.
Thank you very much for making these videos. It's great work and they are very inspiring.
Your appreciation is very welcome - thanks a lot.
Fantastic always one of my favorite's thank you Pete.Your features and history are so wonderful and informative!
Thanks a lot for your appreciative comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you, Mr. Beard for this lovely video.
Thanks a lot for your appreciation. I;m pleased you enjoyed it, and hope you will seek out more of a similar nature on the channel.
I appreciated this video so much, I have had a reproduction of his work (the one at 12:40) since I was a teen, I love to see others of his works. Thank you for this channel.
Your appreciation is aways welcome. So thanks from me - and Mr. Nielsen.
Thank you for showing me this body of work, an artist didn’t know about. I love his style.
Thanks a lot and I'm pleased to have introduced you to his work.
Since I usually watch your videos several times this is a lovely update. Kai it is then in my mind. Glad you got that sorted, YT seems to be enforcing many "rules" they didn't seem to have before from what I see in other creatives here. Thank you for all you do, this video is fantastic and Nielsen's life could be a drama for cinema or TV. Never mind his work is beautiful. I'm partial to the dark works myself.
Thanks a lot for your positive response to the video, and the channel in general. I really wish there was a viable alternative to youtube, but sadly other platforms have nothing like the same reach.
It feels like a connection between ancient Granada and the 'North Shores' of Europe. I have no words for the beauty of it but I love to add my gratefulness. All the Best.
Many thanks for your appreciaion and comment, and Nielsen has a knack of making the viewer completely awestruck.
Thanks for educating me about this remarkable artist.
Thanks a lot for your appreciation. I'm glad you enjoyed his work.
I stumbled upon your channel about 2 weeks ago and I'm absolutely riveted going through, in order, the unsung series...the time, care and honor you put into this work is remarkable in of itself...your voice is the one I want to hear narrating my life and times... thank you
Welcome to the channel, and I'm delighted you consider the channel a worthwhile way to spend some time. And regarding voices i took a look at some of your music videos - very nice stuff, and to this old man at least well chosen material.
No matter where a Kay Nielsen illustration is set (Europe, the Middle or Far East, the Frozen North), I will always and forever associate them with winter. There's just something so cozy about the lush images with their vivid, slightly muted, colors that call to mind being tucked into a warm bed on a particularly chilly night as a child, staying up late to read, by the flashlight's light, your favorite book of fairy tales.
Thanks a lot for your comment, and I know what you mean about the wintery mood of his work. I must admit that on a personal level I do find his work to be generally cold and lacking in emotion. That might be a factor too.
Thank you so much for this wonderful tribute, Pete; such a talent & almost forgotten now.
Thanks for the comment, and I flatter myself that at least this video is gaining him some more admirers.
@@petebeard I’m sure that’s true & well-deserved.
Thank you so much for all the amazing worl you do. Bringing such amazing artist and their works into our lives ❤
Thanks a lot for your comment - it's great to know the work is appreciated.
All ways you have no idea how many wonderful artist you have introduced me too. always looking forward to your updates. we appreciate your hard work :) @@petebeard
My mom has had a Kay Nielsen painting for the entire time I've been alive. It's the one with the knight and the girl, with the face-shield on the side at 12:40.
Edit: just looked it up. It's from 'The Lassie and her Godmother' and it's one of his most reproduced.
Thanks for the comment, and your mother obviously has great taste.
Thank you so much, for your wonderful video content and for the time it takes. Am learning so much more of Illustrators and their work, a much underestimated art form. Feel so many different emotions, pleasure, astonishment and awe at such perfectly expressive talent. Always loved Nielsen’s illustration of Fairy tales. 😊❤
@@hampshirerose9395 Hello and thanks a lot for your comment. I'm pleased to hear your love of illustration mirrors my own.
Nice....an overlooked word....😊😊😊
I didnt realize how many books i have seen his illustrations in. So many of them were my favorite. They were so gorgeous.
Hello and thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation of his work.
My 🐐. Never clicked on one of your videos so fast before
Thanks a lot. You can tell how old I am - I spent ages working out why there was a picture of a goat. Got it in the end.
@@petebeard well I guess be happy your videos got this youth enthralled keep them up boss man
Another great video! I really appreciate the work you do :)
Thanks a lot - that's a real tonic to hear.
Excellent Pete. Out of all the individual artist videos you have done, this might be my favourite.
His work is absolutely mesmerizing. I will admit though, I hadn't heard of him before - but that's why I'm watching your videos in the first place.
I would be curious what kind of time it would have taken him to produce some of these illustrations.
Thanks for putting this one up, it actually made my day a bit better.
Many thanks for your appreciation and I'm glad you are discovering the work of these great past illustrators through the channel. Sadly, I can shine no light on how long such an image might take, other than to say ot had to be several days - maybe even a working week. I can find no information about it.
Hello again. I can't believe I've never seen this artists' work. It's incredibly beautiful; dark and delicate. The details and combination of styles fit perfectly. I have loved Maxfield Parrish since I was 16. I've been collecting books and 1920s prints for decades. I love art nouveau and deco. I would have been looking for these prints as well. I'm looking through his art online, it's all wonderful. Thank you so very much for making this video.
Hello to you, and many thanks for your generous appreciation of the channel. Forgive me the shameless plug but in case you weren't aware of it there's a video about Parrish on the channel too, as well as quite a few others of these romantically inclined golden age illustrators.
@@petebeard I left a comment on your Parrish video and am a subscriber.
@@Fuphyter Hello again and my apologies for not remembering. I do my best to keep track of who has commented but frequently don't succeed.
@@petebeard no problem at all. I love your art videos
His work is so beautifully done. What a treat . Thanks for sharing
Thanks a lot for your comment, and I'm pleased you appreciate his wonderful work.
Thank you so much; your videos are much appreciated.
I hadn't heard of Nielsen - his work is astonishing.
Thanks for the comment, and I'm delighted to have made the introduction.
For ages I’ve had a book of his Arabian Nights illustrations and shamelessly admit to having attempted to copy his style in some of my own work. Never got close to his genius, though. His paintings are not only exquisite, but they have that otherworldly melancholy which is so appealing.
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation of Nielsen's remarkable work.
Worth watching twice anyway Pete. Many Thanks 😊👍
Thanks a lot for your favourable comment.
Glad you did it, as this video is WELL worth watching. *even for a second time
Thanks - I like to think the second time is more revealing.
I honestly feel sad for all those who are missing out on seeing your work.
Hello again and thanks a lot for your multiple comments and appreciation.
One of my favourite artists! I don't know why but it always amasez me that he was man, I somehow see his art as feminine.
Thanks a lot for your comment. There are others - Harry Clarke, John Austen and of course the root of them all Aubrey Beardsley, with similar approaches.
I was wondering if the reason behind the limited editions was the use of artisans to apply hand finished to the prints, since there appears to be no attempt to produce later mass market editions, or was it strictly a marketing idea?
The image at 5:17, reminiscent of Klimt's The Kiss, made it onto the cover of a music album, but I can't recall it's name, so the artwork must have circulated even if the book it was intended for did not get published. It would make a magnificent poster.
Hello and I apologise for you needing to put this comment up twice - I just didn't get time to respond before I deleted the first version. Anyway, I understand (but don't know for sure) that the limited edition nature of the books was due to the impossibility of mass producing them, and I think this was a deliberate ploy to give them considerably more value and persuade collectors they were art rather than mere illustrated books. That he signed them is a bit of a giveaway too. And although it wasnt me who discovered it but a viewer whose name I can't recall the album was Burning the Ballroom Down by the Amazing Rhythm Aces.
They all had a trade edition, unsigned, sometime after the limited edition. I had the orange cover East of the Sun... which fetched a tidy sum many years ago.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful work!
Many thaks for the appreciation and I'm pleased you enjoyed the video.
Captivating! Maybe, as you mention, he amalgamated many populat styles of his time, in his work, yet there is (certainly to my eyes) a uniqueness about his art that sets him way apart. I did not know that Fantasia had not been successful initially - it remains one of the best, if not the best, Disney films. How trsgic, that this man who cteated such exquisite wirk should have died relatively unappreciated. I am enchanted by every image and could spend ages admiring every picture. Thank you
Thanks again, and I'm pleased that you found Nielsen's work interesting. He's certainly one of the most fascinating illustrators I've covered but I can't shake the impression that in many ways he was the architect of his own ultimate downfall. Mind you, they'll probably say the same about me - if they say anything at all, that is.
@@petebeard Andy Warhol’s 15 minutes of fame for everyone seems an interesting forecast of the tawdry fame achieved by “influencers” or participants in big brother type tv offerings. Fame, as you have shown so impressively, can be terribly fleeting. Voltaire (in “Candide”) says “Life is bristling with thorns , and I know no other remedy than to cultivate one’s garden”. This has been interpreted as our inability to change the course of events ultimately - focus on tending one’s own life and finding joy in simple pleasures being the solution. Certainly in your case, you have, if the numerous comments are anything to go by, kindled an interest in and an appreciation of illustrators that did not exist before in this shape and form, Pete Beard will certainly be remembered and talked about. But rather than that, revel in the thought that you are arousing interest in something that is close to your heart in a pretty large number of people. I really think that’s something to be proud of.
Oh I enjoyed this so much! Thank you! 🙏 😊
Thanks a lot for your comment and I'm delighted you enjoyed this view of his wonderful work.
this is so beautiful, it almost reminds me of some Jean Giraud (12:56). Really amazing work.
Thanks for another favourable comment.
@@petebeard What can I say, I'm a fan of the channel, thank YOU pete!
Thank you for the wonderful and very informative video. The orientalist style images was actually published, in my great great grandfathers (Johannes Østrup) danish translation of "A thousand and one nights" I recently bought a copy of his illustrations from the book label Taschen. I love Kay Nielsen
Thanks a lot for your favourable comment about this video. It's my genuine pleasure to try to bring illustrators such as Nielsen to a wider audience.
@@petebeard You are welcome. Thanks, he was a true master indeed
Min 13:37 says it all, it isn't about to enjoy drawing, it's all about " the best drawing to accomplish a crazy dead line ", and this is the reason why a lot of great illustrators run away from advertising and communication industries.....the team behaviour is another ingridient....
Hello again, and what little information there is strongly suggests he was not a team player and was used to getting his own way. If I had been him I would have just been grateful that Disney tried to save me from financial disaster. But that's just my point of view.
Such a brilliant work of Mr.Nielsen.
Thank you very much for this information film.
○•°♡
You are more than welcome. Thanks for the appreciation.
Thank you I just bought the 6 volumes of the Tales from the Arabian Nights, Folio Edition. Can't wait to see it.
Hello and thanks a lot for your comments about this video and Nielsen's remarkable body of work. I hope you will find others on the channel that are of interest to you.
Excellent as always....E...
Thanks as ever.
Oh this one was heartbreaking… to have such talent yet die in poverty😢 thank you Pete …another great one ❤
Thanks for your appreiation and comment. Sadly he wasn't the only one to endure a similar fate.
What struck me as running through almost all of his works presented is the verticality of them. At first I thought the shape of a page might be driving it, but it mainly stuck through in the few landscape images.
Interesting observation, and something I hadn't noticed - or at least not consciously. Thanks a lot for your comment. Something he inherited via Beardsley, maybe?
thank you. this was really nice.
You're more than welcome.
C/P comment thx to a few 'likes' which put it in my notifications (and my vanity).
The blending of surreal vision with disciplined craftsmanship is in my view, perfect.
I wonder if you didn't answer your own question. Nielsen may have developed into an 'artiste terrible', which is common enough. Maybe he would have been better served by taking authorship and presented completed works to publishing houses and studios to negotiate terms (another learning curve in and of itself).
Thanks a lot for re-uploading your comment, and my apologies for making it necessary. I must say I read wildly conflicting accounts of his character, ranging from quietly heroic and sensitive through to resentful prima donna. But it is a mystery that he seems to have chosen to leave book work behind, and I can't help but think his refusal to compomise was at the heart of his downfall.
@@petebeard We still have something from him, that's more than most.
I love this channel and will do whatever I can to help it grow.
Thank you Peter Beard.
Nielsen was one of my heros when in art school in the early 70's but the other students hardly know who he was. Alfonse Mucha and Gustav Klimt were all the rage with them but I preferred Nielsen and Schiele. My designs were very much inspired by him.
Magnificent.
Thanks for the comment.
Funny fiction fantastic Art.Nature can be wonderful if we treated fair.
Thanks a lot for your comment.
I think he was too good for Disney, way, way too good!
Thanks for the comment, and I'm glad you appreciate his marvellous work.
Gorgeous.
Thanks for your comment.
His work is such a fine thing: his characters are impossibly strange and familiar as family. 🙏
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreviation of his work.
Like Beardsley, as well.
Hello and thanks for your comments about this video.
Another gem, i watched it twice. I screen capture odd pages if your lessons and try them out.
Many thanks - and feel free to watch it just as many times as you like!
Thank you for acquainting me with this artist and his remarkable work. Have you looked into H.J. Ford, who illustrated the Yellow Fairy?
Yellow Fairy Book, that is?
Thanks a lot for your comment, and I'm pleased to say I already have material ready to go for Henry Justice Ford's illustrations. But there isn't the volume to enable me to make a full video about his work so he will be part of the unsung heroes of illustration series, when I return to uploading them in a few month's time.
Thank you. I look forward to your video.@@petebeard 😺
There is a delicate but detailed refinement in Nielson's illustrations that create the necessary ethereal quality for mythology and fantasy - very appealing to me. Thank you for your work, Mr Beard. Are you an artist yourself?
Many thanks for your appreciation of the channel and Nielsen's remarkable work. And regarding your question I worked as an illustrator of little distinction (but made a living) for four decades, and taught illustration at a university for about 15 years. But since I retired in 2016 it's just this channel that keeps me occupied. Don't expect anything even remotely of the quality of those I feature on the channel but there is a short video of some of my work in poor resolution from that year. Just search for 'Pete Beard Portfolio' and lower your expectations accordingly
@@petebeardThank you for your reply. I took a look at your portfolio and I would say the genre you specialised in is top quality - It has a lot of life and humour. Our taste in art is totally subjective, and illustration supplies art to the commercial world, however what we choose to put on our walls may or may not be good or talented or even valuable - in fact what ends up raising huge prices at auction may be so bad I wouldn't even put it face-to-the-wall in a garden shed. However I can imagine your illustrations raising many a chuckle and smile - and I think that's a gift.
@@wendysalter Hello again and thanks a lot for the kind words.
Nielsen's great triumph was that he remained true to himself. Although one can't take fame and fortune beyond death the strength one's genius remains in his works as a witness against popular approvals fickle tarnish...
Thank a lot for your comment about Nielsen's rare and distinctive talent.
👍Thank you. 🇬🇧🇵🇹
It's appreciated.
The difference in illustration and fine art: the customer. There was nothing wrong with his work, any of it, as far as I can see. It was just how it shakes out sometimes. And if I’m being honest, Eyvind Earle’s work on Sleeping Beauty is my favorite of all the old Disney films.
Never heard of him. Wonder if we're related.
Well I'm glad you've heard of him now.
Please i love this video and the artist but can someone please tell me the materials he used. Specially the paper and the sizes
Hello, and to find out a little more about what Nielsen used to create his images go to mutualart.com and search for him by name. They sell original artwork and many of the pieces say what was used to make them and how big they were.
It's life. Don't talk to me about life! Did anyone mention it?
Sometimes life - and google (who are supposed to check for copyright issues before the video goes public) can be a pain in the backside.
@@petebeard Google is getting incredibly inept, actually stupidly incompetent!
@@josefschiltz2192 do you have any idea how many hours of content is loaded up to TH-cam, every minute?
@@ThatOpalGuy Oh, pardon me.
@@ThatOpalGuy I mean, obviously my poor feverish brain is far too addled to grasp it's sheer magnitude!! 🙄Don't be so damn stupid. Of course I might have some idea!
Fascinating and yet sad such a talented man who had no mind to ever change and maybe his dark side had more to do with his life than we know and not just a concept he could not change.
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation of Nielsen's haunting work.
Thank you - very interesting!
Thanks for the comment, and I'm pleased you enjoyed the video.
Well I did see it -- and comment -- and even had some comments on my comment. But the Kopyright Kops have gotten out of hand. I have a friend whose video of a stroll through her town's Christmas market was taken down -- because of the background music playing in the market! This kind of thing has gotten so egregious that some police departments have taken to playing screaming loud Top 40 on their car radios when they make a traffic stop to ensure that we-all-know-what-ideology-does-this will get their videos taken down by the Toob! But as to what I said, it ended thus: after Nielsen's treatment of Andersen and the Brothers Grimm I would have loved to see what he would have done with Wagner's "Ring" cycle. Or for that matter Tolkien's!
Thanks a lot for re-replying, and my sincere apologies. I wouldn;t mind so much but youtube are supposed to check for copyright and other issues (nudity, for example) while the video is being processed. I've lost count of how many times this has happened, but it never gets any easier to swallow. And you are right about other works he would have been suited to. r
Wonderful video!
Thanks for your comment.
After the first world War there was a huge lack of paper and the markets were uncertain. That's why the publishers were not willing to print beautiful books for years. The golden age of beautiful illustrated books was over until the year 1930 when😮 Nielsens last gift book Red Magic was published.
Thanks for your comment.
Hermoso, gracias
Thanks a lot.
I see shades or Erté in much of his work.
That's an interesting connection, and I see what you mean.
What gorgeous artwork. The museums "didn't want them", what?? When the time passes we have the privilege (or not) to see how insane people can be.
Thanks a lot for your comment. And yes, it beggars belief that nobody saw the intrinsic worth of his work at that time. What a tragedy.
Arthur Quiller COOCH it's pronounced like couch grass.
I always thought it was 'cowch' grass too. I'll try to care.