Nielsen's Fairy Tale Illustrations in Full Color

by Kay Nielsen (Illustrator)

Along with Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac, Kay (pronounced "kigh") Nielsen was one of a triumvirate of great artists from the golden age of illustration. Known for his soft yet ornate pastels and a splendid use of various design elements, the Danish-American artist became famous for his memorable illustrations of stories by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, as well as the Nordic fables recounted in East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon and the tales collected in In Powder and Crinoline .
This enchanting compilation of 59 full-color illustrations draws upon Nielsen's images from scores of beloved tales, from the nasty characters in "Rumpelstiltskin" to the mysterious and magical figures in "The Blue Belt," "The Hardy Tin Soldier," "The Nightingale," "The Real Princess," "Hansel and Gretel," "Snowdrop," and many more.
Certain to delight fans of fairy tales, this dazzling collection will also thrill lovers of fine art, as well as Nielsen admirers.

Genres: Art, Fantasy, Childrens, Picture Books, Denmark, Own, Art and Photography

64 pages, Paperback

First published June 22, 2006

About the author

Kay Rasmus Nielsen (March 12, 1886 – June 21, 1957) was a Danish illustrator who was popular in the early 20th century, the "golden age of illustration" which lasted from when Daniel Vierge and other pioneers developed printing technology to the point that drawings and paintings could be reproduced with reasonable facility. He joined the ranks of Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac in enjoying the success of the gift books of the early 20th century. Nielsen is also known for his collaborations with Disney for whom he contributed many story sketches and illustrations.

Reviews

[Marquise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great artwork collection, Nielsen's one of the best fairy tale artists for sure.

[a ☕︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

particular favorites: all the plates for east of the sun and west of the moon, plate 8 the blue belt, the plates for minon-minette, the plates for the twelve dancing princesses, acc i’m realizing this is pointless, i like everything he has drawn. i’ll call out east of the sun and west of the moon because that set in particular seems infused with a monastic purity that i think must come from his danish sensibility, done w very thin lines and an ethereal suggestion of pearly starlight. the other i most love is the ship headed about and sped over the depths of the sea, i love that the moon is very low, almost touching the ocean, that the sun on the sail is directly above it, that the many-pointed stars seem to drift slowly down from the night like dandelion seeds. and ofc i love the soft sea-green color that ebbs and flows in art nouveau curlicues around the pale ship. the height of fairy-tale art.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanna live in his pictures.
*emigrates*

[Vyviane Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very simple beautiful book. It's a collection of the some of the different illustrations from the artist and a short description or quote from the book. If you

[Fatemeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

His works are so underrated. It's a pity I myself, only had to discover him from Pinterest.

[Tra-Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nielsen...is wonderful...this book...is balls. It's a thin, floppy thing with a half-assed half-page introduction and plates that take up only about 3/4 of the page and look like they were produced by a regular household printer.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nielsen’s Fairy Tale Illustrations in Full Color

Nielsen’s Fairy Tale Illustrations in Full Color (Dover Fine Art, History of Art) by Kay Nielsen. Excellent artwork throughout this book. I did recognize some of pictures from childhood.

[Sandy Sexton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nielsen was one of the great illustrators, largely influenced by the Japanese printmaker Hiroshige. This is a beautiful book for lovers of art and fairy tales.

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 4 out of 5]

All quite charmingly ethereal and otherworldly.

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed perusing this. There are certain scenes that remind me of the "Silmarillion." It also reminds me a bit of Aubrey Beardsley's art from "Morte D'Arthur." I wish the biographical portion had been longer - I found out later that Kay Nielsen had also done work for Disney. For example, some of his art appeared in Fantasia's "Ave Maria" and "Night on Bald Mountain" which are two parts that present themes of the Gothic - supernatural darkness vs heavenly light. For fans of Disney or Hans Christian Anderson, I highly recommend looking at this book.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

These illustrations are beautiful. They remind me of one of my favorite artists, Arthur Rackham, who also did very wispy, thin-lined, extremely detailed illustrations of fairy tale stories. I especially loved the watercolors of the more familiar tales of Hansel & Gretel and Snow White ("Snowdrop").

[Laural · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nielsen is an icon in illustration. Very much like Rackham, but sadder, more poetic.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great pictures. Would have liked a bit more biographical detail.