Hanging Holly, by J. C. Leyendecker. Saturday Evening Post Cover, December 21, 1918 1918

J.C. Leyendecker made this cover for the Saturday Evening Post back in 1918, probably in oil paint. He's really laying down these crisp, clean strokes. Everything is so precise, especially when you look at the gentleman in uniform, framed in the mirror. And, wow, notice how Leyendecker uses the color red—there's this intense circle behind the man, echoed in the tiny holly berries, and then there's a softer peach in the woman's dress. Look at how he layers the paint to make the satin look so smooth you just want to reach out and touch it. The surface isn't overworked, there is an economy of strokes to create this overall image, with the precision of the holly leaves contrasting with the soft rendering of the woman. Leyendecker kind of reminds me of Warhol, using commercial art as a place for this personal and symbolic language, which is quite interesting. I think he had some stories to tell.