Foremost American Portrait Painter Everett Raymond Kinstler Will Write Foreword on Forthcoming New Book on the Life of Howard Chandler Christy

USA - English

• USA - English

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Foremost American portrait painter Everett Raymond Kinstler, who recently celebrated his 92nd birthday, honors Howard Chandler Christy by penning the foreword in a forthcoming book on the legendary artist who created the famous "Christy Girl" and became the most popular portrait painter of the Jazz Age.

"Romantic Illusions" is written by author James Philip Head, the preeminent expert on Howard Chandler Christy, and is the second book in a three-part biographical series, "An Affair with Beauty – The Mystique of Howard Chandler Christy", about the illustrious artistic career and intriguing life of the legendary illustrator and portrait painter Howard Chandler Christy.

Kinstler, who has immortalized with his painter's brush some of the greatest American men and women over the last 70 years including eight U.S. Presidents—his portraits of President Ford and President Reagan are the official White House portraits—ten Secretaries of State and more than fifty Cabinet members, went from high school dropout to painting a veritable who's who of American history and culture spanning the mid-20th to early 21st centuries. Through his incomparable talent, Kinstler has shaped and advanced the public's understanding and appreciation of the leaders of this nation. Having painted more than 2,000 paintings of individuals, including noted celebrities and leaders in their field such as Tony Bennett, Katharine Hepburn, Peter O'Toole, Gregory Peck, John Wayne, Paul Newman and most recently Heisman Trophy recipient Eddie George, Kinstler has enhanced our understanding of the extraordinary lives and times of the men and women who have influenced and built our nation. As an illustration of this, the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C., has acquired over 100 portraits by Kinstler—more than any other artist.

"What a treat it is to be a part of Jim Head's biography of Howard Chandler Christy," says Kinstler, who knew and sketched Christy in 1950. "Jim has approached his subject with honesty, admiration and affection, combining a historian's dedication and search for truthfulness with an artist's eye. Christy's masterful illustrations and portraits greatly influenced my artistic manner and painting."

In "Romantic Illusions", the second book in Head's An Affair with Beauty trilogy, Christy once again comes to life through the eyes of Nancy Palmer Christy, his wife and former model, as she recounts her first Christmas with Howard and his family at his Ohio mansion, the Barracks, in 1912.

Howard tells of his early years studying art in near-poverty in New York City and his sudden ascent to stardom as the top pupil of William Merritt Chase, the premier portrait painter in America. During "The Great Flood of 1913" – the worst tragedy the Midwest had ever experienced − Howard describes his daring experiences with Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War in Cuba and his brush with near-certain death, no less than three times. The effects of the war profoundly transform Howard, inspiring him to create his vision of beauty, the "Christy Girl," which catapults him to fame and fortune.

"An Affair with Beauty – The Mystique of Howard Chandler Christy: Romantic Illusions" will be released in the spring 2019. Visit AnAffairwithBeauty.com for more information on An Affair with Beauty and the author.

The first book in the trilogy, "The Magic of Youth", is available upon request.

About the Author
As a freshman at the University of Maryland, Jim Head discovered a gilt-edged folio of Charles Dana Gibson's The Social Ladder in the stacks of the campus library one night, starting him on a journey to learn more about Gibson and the "Illustrators of Beauty." In turn, he became captivated with the talent, fame and eventual obscurity of Howard Chandler Christy. Over the years, to reveal the true untold story, he has engaged research assistants, uncovered thousands of letters and newspaper articles, and traveled throughout the US to interview dozens of people, including family members, former models, and others who knew the artist and his family. Head is an attorney in Tysons Corner, Virginia where he concentrates in estate planning and trust and estate litigation. He lives in Chantilly, Virginia with his wife, Rita, and daughter, Christianna.

SOURCE Romantic Illusions