'56 Chevrolet Magazine Ad

YOUTH, BEAUTY, CHEVROLET, ACTION !

Austin Briggs did this illustration. During this period he was at the top of his form and it shows here. I don't know who had this idea for a Chevy ad but it is a beauty and not the kind of situation that easily comes to mind. In '56 Chevy was the "Hot One" that was even "Hotter" and this played to the idea that it was a hot seller as well as a hot performer. This kind of story telling illustration for advertising has all but disappeared especially for car ads. It may be that computers have something to do with it. It's much easier to do some kind of abstract background and tack on a headline. Too bad illustrators are out of style and no longer play an important part in ads today. Some great artists are still out there but they are painting for themselves. A good example is Jim Dietz. He paints wonderful war situations with lots of emphasis on people. I bought one of his paintings a few years ago. He is as good as any of the illustrators from the '50s and better than some. Charley Schridde is an illustrator from back then that is still painting and doing very well at selling stuff. Harry Borgman is still around too. And there is a whole school of artists illustrating the Civil War. The capability is out there just waiting for someone to figure out how to use it. You can check out all these artists on the internet.