Sideline Art

U. S. commercial artists outnumber so-called serious artists ten to one. But commercial artists seldom make art news.

Last week they did.

In Philadelphia, sponsored by the big ad agency of N. W. Ayer, 35 leading commercial artists exhibited their sideline, non-advertising art. Their somewhat defiant aim: to disprove the patronizing theory that the commercial artist is "a renegade who rides in a Lincoln-Zephyr V-12," whereas an "artist" is a "pure spirit who munches crusts in a garret." Say they: "They're often one and the same person." The show's 40 items were the work of artists whose main problem is to entice consumers with dream women, seductive bathtub scenes, irresistible automobiles, travel-teasing landscapes, nostalgic farm scenes, etc. (for which their fees range from $300 to $3,000 per illustration).

For this show they studiously ignored advertising clients. Robert Riggs (Dole pineapple, Goodyear tires) exhibited his circus lithographs, which have steadily won critical acclaim in the past six years. A surrealist painting was hung by famed French Poster Artist A. M. Cassandre (Dubonnet). Instead of seminudes in bathtubs for Cannon towels, Gladys Rockmore Davis sent a demure little girl writing. Peter Helck, who turns out ads for Champion spark plugs, Goodyear tires, refreshed his soul with an antiquated locomotive in a railroad yard. Leon Karp, layout man for N. W. Aver, painted his son in rougher textures than ad clients generally approve (and with more warmth than they usually get).

Observers agreed that the show effectively helped to raise commercial artists' prestige. But they also agreed that none of these artists was likely to forsake his airbrush and ruler for critical honors alone.

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