Cover
Date1937
Artist
Gayle Porter Hoskins
(American painter, illustrator, and muralist, 1887–1962)
Illustration CitationCover for Romantic Range, June 1937
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions36 1/2 × 26 1/2 in. (92.7 × 67.3 cm)
frame: 41 × 30 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (104.1 × 77.5 × 3.8 cm)
frame: 41 × 30 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (104.1 × 77.5 × 3.8 cm)
Credit LineGift of Martha V. Keller, 2009
Object number2009-73
On View
On viewClassificationsPAINTING
Label TextWhile the publishing industry suffered setbacks during the Depression, the inexpensive fiction magazines called pulps prospered. Named for the coarse wood pulp paper they were printed on, pulps were known for their colorful covers, matched by often sensational stories.Their illustrators were known for their specialties. Gayle Hoskins—a horseman since his Colorado childhood and a prolific illustrator of cowboy tales—often worked in the Western genre. While covers often matched the lurid stories, Romantic Range's imagery presented a more wholesome vision of the West. Here, Hoskins presents a couple riding through the impressive scenery; their lariats indicate that they are ready for work. His attention to contrasts of light and shadow and his use of precipitous viewpoints add visual drama. As the 1930s ended, and for the rest of his career, Hoskins returned to historical subjects and portraits.Extended label
While the publishing industry suffered setbacks during the Depression, the inexpensive fiction magazines called pulps prospered. Such publications had been a segment of the industry since the 1890s, when they were named for the coarse wood pulp paper they were printed on. Other magazines were referred to as glossies or slicks. Pulps—which encompassed many genres—were known for their colorful covers, matched by often sensational short stories and serials. Covers were important enough that sometimes editors hired illustrators first to create an image; then, authors would be asked to write a story around it. Despite the pulps' low-quality reputation and low pay-rate, they employed many distinguished authors, including Isaac Asimov, Agatha Christie, Joseph Conrad, and Upton Sinclair, some of whom were just starting out or ending long careers.
Illustrators, often equally renowned, were known for their specialties. Gayle Hoskins—an experienced horseman since his Colorado childhood—often worked in the Western genre. While pulp covers often matched the lurid written contents, Romantic Range's imagery presented a more wholesome vision of the West. Here Hoskins presents a clean-cut couple enjoying the impressive scenery. Hoskins' attention to contrasts of light and shadow, and his use of precipitous viewpoints, add visual drama. As the 1930s ended, and for the rest of his career, Hoskins returned to historical subjects and portraits.
Gayle Porter Hoskins
1925
