This info was passed on to me by Glen Orbik, and this is the story as he has heard it.
"The course never actually happened as Reilly died before he could start it up completely.
The chapter I have was from Steve Rude - it's the John Gannam chapter. He stumbled across it when he "cold called" John Gannam Jr. from a phone number he looked up in a mid-west telephone directory . J Gannam Jr - a retired phone co. employee - not an artist himself -let Steve talk him into coming out to see his upstairs room full of his dad's paintings and that's where Steve got the chapter of the course by Gannam. Frank Reilly's name was only noticed by Steve secondly. Later that same year ( 2006) Stuart Ng mentioned that he had found a copy of the whole course. I believe the story was that it came from an ex-Disney artist who had put more or less a complete version of it together on his own. He may have been one of the instructors listed - I'm not certain. A friend of mine who looked it over said it was very impressive and all there except for the Russell Patterson chapter."
So basically what I would like to know is if anyone out there has seen this course or has any information on it.
UPDATE:
A)There was an article and an excerpt from the course in American Artist Vol. 26 from 1962
With limited research into copyrights I have discovered the following:
B)The course was copyright 1963-64 by Northwest Schools Inc.
C) The following is a chapter list
1.Material by Michael Aviano
2.Form in Art by Frank J. Reilly
3.Perspective in Art Michael Aviano
4.Human Form by Frank J. Reilly
5.?
6.?
7.The Head, Hands, and Feet by James Bama
8.Drapery by Cliff Young
9.Beauty and Character in Art part 1.John Gannam part 2.Douglass Crockwell
10.Animals by Paul Bransom
11.Line Drawing by Henry Pitz
12.Value by Frank J. Reilly
13.Theory of Color by Gordon A. Johnson
14.-23. ?
24. a)History of Illustration by Henry Pitz
b)History of Fine Art by David Robb
25. ?
26. Covers part 1 by Jerry Allison part two by Clark Hulings
In 1962, Frank Reilly offered me a scholarship to his School when it was located in a building on West 57th Street called "Steinway Hall"- the huge showroom for the famous Piano company.
ReplyDeleteI was just 16 years old at the time and about to graduate from the High School of Music & Art.
New York City had asked Frank Reilly to award a Merit Scholarship to one promising teenage student of his personal choice and I was the lucky Winner/Recipient.
I believe, that as he studied my Portfolio, Frank Reilly was particularly impressed with my brooding self-portrait, brushes in hand, executed in an Old Master Renaissance style. That was over half a Century ago when I left his inner office, profusely thanking him and his Secretary at the time.
(I believe her name was Mrs. Mudd)
To study with Frank Reilly was one of the formative highlights of my early life as an artist as he was a true Master Teacher in every way and inculcated in every student a respect for professionalism and tradition that had started to die out with the death of the great European Academies where his own teachers had studied in a far away, very distant Era.
When Frank Reilly entered the studio a silent hush fell over the room as if the great French Artist, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres himself, had just walked through the door.
My love for the techniques of the Old Masters has never wavered nor can I ever forget the lessons I learned from Frank Reilly who offered me that Merit Scholarship to enter his storied private school on 57th Street in New York.
The fruits of what I learned in my time with Frank Reilly, so long ago, can be viewed on my Website:
www.OldMasterPortraits.com
Thus, I can say I also form some part of the long family Tree of former Frank Reilly students.
I would be most interested and appreciative to learn the status of the elusive search to locate a complete copy of Reilly's lost Correspondence Course and all accompanying Notes and Materials. Especially the Stuart NG "connection" and discoveries several years ago.
Where does "The Reilly Project" stand now in 2018 ??
Also is there any existing availability of any film and/or audio recordings that may have been made while Frank Reilly was alive ??
Congratulations on all your splendid work to preserve the priceless contributions of this very unique Artist who was taken from us far too soon at the very height of his Fame.
May he Rest in Eternal and well deserved Peace.
( Where is he interred / Did he have any Family and/or Descendants ?)
Hi David, Amazing reproductions of some amazing work, I'd love to see some of your original work if it's posted anywhere.. By original of course I mean work non-reproduction work
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