They Drew as They Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney’s Golden Age (The 1930s)

211 Pages·2015·5.73 MB·English

by  Didier Ghez

They drew as they pleased
The Hidden Art of Disney’s Golden Age
the 1930s
by Didier Ghez
foreword by Pete Docter
CHRONICLE BOOKS
SAN FRANCISCO
Copyright © 2015 by Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.
ISBN: 978-1-4521-3743-8 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5860-0 (epub, mobi)
Written by Didier Ghez
Design by Cat Grishaver
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FRONT COVER IMAGE: Gustaf Tenggren
ABOVE AND OPPOSITE: Character studies for
Alice in Wonderland. Courtesy: Matt Crandall.
To the three fairies who gave birth to my golden age:
my grandmother, Simone Naman; my mother,
Yvette Naman-Ghez; and my wife, Rita Holanda Ghez

CONTENTS
Foreword by Pete Docter 9
Preface 10
Inspired! 13
1. Albert Hurter 18
2. Ferdinand Horvath 72
3. Gustaf Tenggren 128
4. Bianca Majolie 174
Acknowledgments 203
Notes 204
Index 206
Character studies for The Fox Hunt (1938),
by Ferdinand Horvath.
8
FOREWORD
FOREWORD
A concept artist at Disney in the 1940s. It seems like a dream job, doesn’t it?
No rules, no preexisting styles to follow, working alongside some of the best artists
in the world. Just sit all day in a comfortable office . . . and draw.
Yet most who achieved this enviable position only In addition, it takes a quiet and reflective person to pick up
lasted a few years. They got frustrated, anxious, insecure, and on the nuances and subtleties of human behavior; someone who
burned out. Why? What made this dream job so difficult? is sensitive and deeply attuned to the world around them. Often
For starters, there is that blank piece of paper staring up at these people are shy introverts, content to sit outside the party
you. What at first seems like freedom can end up overwhelming and observe rather than be an active part of it.
in its infinite possibilities. Inspiration doesn’t always arrive on a Imagine what happens when you put this unique, sensi-
schedule, but the deadlines don’t change. Then too, consider the tive, independent person into a factory setting—for that largely
audience for whom you’re producing: whatever you produce has describes an animation studio. The days are regimented, the hours
to surprise, delight, and inspire the world’s best artists and story- long, and the deadlines never stop. And of course, one’s work is
tellers—including Walt Disney himself. No pressure, right? always under scrutiny, subject to others’ tastes and opinion. Walt
Given all these requirements, there were but a small number was not known for his soft-handed approach, and he wasn’t shy
of artists up to this task. Few made it to this position directly; about speaking up when something didn’t please him. (He was,
they were usually brought up through the ranks, hand-selected by after all, paying the bills.)
Walt. What was he looking for? What qualities did it take to be a Ironically, in many ways the Disney Studio system may
successful concept artist?0 have unwittingly squashed the very qualities it looked for in the
They must draw well, of course. But an artist is more than concept artist to begin with. Being some of the very first art-
a talented draftsman. Concept artists must be independent and ists to be placed in this newly minted “concept artist” position,
unique, more interested in blazing their own trail than following Albert Hurter, Ferdinand Horvarth, Gustaf Tenggren, and Bianca
others. Their visual style should be distinctive. They need to be Majolie were to find out first-hand how difficult the position
able to observe thousands of details from life around them, filter, could be. In many ways, the real surprise is that they lasted at the
interpret, and then commit these ideas to paper in a way that Studio as long as they did.
would make others laugh or cry. Their work reflected the mind Concept artists are unlikely mercenaries. Hired to discover
of the artist who made it, showing their personality and taste. ideas, jokes, characters, and environments, their trailblazing work
It’s surprising how often a drawing will look like the artist—even is never seen directly by the film-going audience. Unexpectedly,
when the drawing isn’t of a person. Their artwork is a reflection thanks to this volume, the art of four exemplary members of the
of the individual and their life experiences. If you want unique art, Walt Disney Studio in the 1930s has a second chance to do what
you’ll find it takes a unique person to produce it. it was designed to do: inspire.
—PETE DOCTER
9
FOREWORD
Preface
TThe 1930s was the decade off the Walt Diisney SStudiio’’s GGolden AAge. TThey were also
the decade of the Great Depression. Unemployed artists flocked to the Disney Studio and
the animation jobs that were among the only reliable openings at the time.
Walt had the opportunity to pick the best among them.
As a result, many of the most gifted American and foreign unique and highly creative individuals who had a major impact
artists joined Disney in the ’30s to work on story, design, layouts, on the second decade of the Disney Studio. Their stories and art
backgrounds, and animation. The most original, the most creative, showcase the incredible explosion of inspiration and ideas that
the most imaginative of them were challenged by Walt to create was occurring in animation at that time, as well as the conse-
imaginative works of art, to establish character and scene designs, quences of working in such a competitive, high-pressure environ-
to inspire their fellow artists. By their very nature those pieces of ment. In future volumes I will also mostly shy away from artists
preproduction art never made it to the screen, though the char- like Joe Grant and Mary Blair, who have been widely discussed,
acters and scenes that audiences have come to love sprang to life in order to focus on the likes of Johnny Walbridge, Walt Scott,
from these early ideas and designs. and John Parr Miller, whose concept sketches are particularly
I first became aware of the beauty and endless creativity striking but have been almost completely overlooked.
of Disney’s concept artwork through the books He Drew as He As much as possible, my plan is to include in these books
Pleased (1948) by Albert Hurter and the seminal Before the Ani- artwork that has never been released before. There is so much
mation Begins (1996) by John Canemaker. Looking at concept art from these artists—and many others—that lies in the files and
allowed me to become aware of the thousands of creative ideas boxes of Disney’s Animation Research Library and the Walt
and designs that the Disney artists explored before settling on the Disney Archives. These institutions preserve close to sixty-five
ones that made it to the screen. It revealed a critical, and often million pieces of art. Needless to say, this is both exhilarating and
hidden, part of Disney history whose richness was almost over- daunting. The present volume contains countless new discoveries:
whelming. I was hooked, and I knew I needed to try to unearth from early Jiminy Cricket designs by Albert Hurter to drawings
much more of this art for myself and others to enjoy. More spe- by Gustaf Tenggren for “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and the
cifically, I wanted to delve into the lives and work of artists who, abandoned Silly Symphony Ballet des Fleurs. The search for these
while they played key roles in Disney’s productions, have been treasures was not always smooth. To make matters more difficult,
largely overlooked in the more popular histories and art books. artists working at Disney mostly did not sign their creations, and
For this volume, I chose to include Albert Hurter, Ferdinand it is often difficult to attribute pieces of art to a specific indi-
Horvath, Gustaf Tenggren, and Bianca Majolie. These are each vidual. In addition, some of the most beautiful concept sketches
10
PREFACE