Willy Pogany – Illustrations from Parsifal Music Sheet 1920

William Andrew Pogany (August 24, 1882 – July 30, 1955) was a prolific Hungarian illustrator of children’s and other books. His contemporaries include Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, W. Heath Robinson, Margaret Tarrant, Charles Robinson, Anne Anderson, Enerst H. Shepard and N.C. Wyeth.

He is best known for his pen and ink drawings of myths and fables. A large portion of Willy Pogany’s work is described as Art Nouveau. Pogany’s artistic style is heavily fairy-tale orientated and often feature motifs of mythical animals such as nymphs and pixies. He paid great attention to botanical details. He used dreamy and warm pastel scenes with watercolors, oil paintings, and especially pen and ink. Painstakingly detailed and confident, Pogany’s pen and ink pieces portray the true extent of his talent.

Presenting the illustrations for Parsifal’s sheet music designed and illustrated by Willy Pogany in 1920. For those who are familiar with Pogany’s work, it’s quite different from the Wagner’s trilogy. Pogany designed and illustrated from 1911-1913 in book form, considered by many his masterpiece and one of the highlight of the Golden Age of illustration. This is a small booklet containing 12 full page illustrations, probably privately commissioned.

The illustrations here are up to the standard he did for his earlier Parsifal, but the ornaments and designs are in color instead of the B/W or gray tone in his previous book. It is quite superb and vibrant. The scans doesn’t do justice to the illustrations, especially in this case. Enjoy like usual.

Art Gallery: Willy Pogany – Parsifal Music Sheet 1920