Realist painter Reynold Brown (1917 – 1991) earned accolades and recognition in several genres of illustration during his lifetime. His career began right after high school while employed as a comic artist working (uncredited) under Hal Forrest on the Tailspin Tommy strip. After a stint at the Otis Art Institute in California and the emergence of WWII, Brown worked as a technical artist for North American Aviation where he created the first cut-away illustrations of fighter planes. With his heightened technical skills and artistic ability realizable, Brown relocated to New York City and began a freelance career earning commissions for periodicals like Argosy, Popular Science, Saturday Evening Post, Boys’ Life, Outdoor Life, and Popular Aviation. In addition, his work graced the covers of numerous paperbacks. In 1950, Brown and his family moved back to California where he began teaching at the Art Center College of Design. It was during this time that Brown’s career changed direction once again, and for the next twenty years Brown would create some of his most iconic work, appearing on film posters for MGM, Universal Pictures, Disney, Warner Bros., AIP, and others. During the 1970s, Brown switched gears yet again and dove into the Western genre with a focus on action shots and portraits. Today, his work remains highly collectible and influential.
Image credit:
Reynold Brown
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
Allied Artists, January 1, 1958