What do you think?
Rate this book
The Railroad Artistry of Howard Fogg
Book by Hill, Ronald C. and al Chione
168 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1999
About the author
Ronald C. Hill
9 booksMy primary motivation for writing is to share knowledge with others who have similar interests. I am particularly influenced by history and transportation, especially railroads and airlines. Ordinarily, I form some sort of rough outline—either written or mental—and then write and rewrite a rough draft in longhand with a fountain pen before typing the manuscript in final form. Sometimes subjects on which I am well versed simply occur to me, and at other times an editor will ask me to submit an article on a subject about which I have knowledge. I have a large research library at my disposal, and that is very helpful, of course.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 27, 2022
Steam and the “Mechanical Age” were best buddies. And there is no better example of the power and complexity of steam power than the steam locomotive. I was attracted to those that were still around as a kid, and that admiration has not dissipated significantly.
If you think it is easy to make painting of trains, you haven’t spent much time looking at some of the mediocre work that is out there. Howard Fogg is arguably the best there was.
His wife introduces him to us by noting the following:
“Howard always claimed that he was an illustrator, not an artist; that he was just someone who loved trains and happened to be able to paint. Part of that belief was due to the fact that he wasn’t interested in art as such; he didn’t go to museums or galleries or art shows, and he jokingly referred to his brush as ‘that stick with hair on it’…Another reason for that belief is that he never had any training in painting….A ‘true’ watercolorist would never try to do such detailed work, and yet somehow Howard managed to paint every nut and bolt…”
And from Hill:
“He sometimes thought of himself as just a railroader with a paintbrush. He said that he didn’t want to be considered an artist. But he was overruled.”
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/4654893...
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1447485...
As an English literature major from Dartmouth College it would have been surprising to expect him to end up doing paintings of locomotives. It took a series of lucky encounters with Baldwin Locomotive, Duncan Fraser (president of American Locomotive Co.) and Lucius Beebe to point the way to a career.
Fogg created over 1,000 paintings primarily in watercolor but there were at least 200 in oil. In trying to analyze why I am so taken with his work, I believe it relates to how he was able to convey that power in motion so well by his watercolor techniques. This is a delightful book. I hope that your local library can lend it to you.
If you think it is easy to make painting of trains, you haven’t spent much time looking at some of the mediocre work that is out there. Howard Fogg is arguably the best there was.
His wife introduces him to us by noting the following:
“Howard always claimed that he was an illustrator, not an artist; that he was just someone who loved trains and happened to be able to paint. Part of that belief was due to the fact that he wasn’t interested in art as such; he didn’t go to museums or galleries or art shows, and he jokingly referred to his brush as ‘that stick with hair on it’…Another reason for that belief is that he never had any training in painting….A ‘true’ watercolorist would never try to do such detailed work, and yet somehow Howard managed to paint every nut and bolt…”
And from Hill:
“He sometimes thought of himself as just a railroader with a paintbrush. He said that he didn’t want to be considered an artist. But he was overruled.”
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/4654893...
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1447485...
As an English literature major from Dartmouth College it would have been surprising to expect him to end up doing paintings of locomotives. It took a series of lucky encounters with Baldwin Locomotive, Duncan Fraser (president of American Locomotive Co.) and Lucius Beebe to point the way to a career.
Fogg created over 1,000 paintings primarily in watercolor but there were at least 200 in oil. In trying to analyze why I am so taken with his work, I believe it relates to how he was able to convey that power in motion so well by his watercolor techniques. This is a delightful book. I hope that your local library can lend it to you.
Displaying 1 of 1 review