Paul Detlefsen (October 3, 1899 - August 1, 1986)[1] was a commercial artist of the mid to late 20th century, associated with the "Hollywood scene".[2] He is known for his realistic depictions of serene, nostalgic scenes; his works were reproduced in a popular line of calendars and other prints.
Paul Detlefsen | |
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Born | (1899-10-03)October 3, 1899 Copenhagen, Denmark |
Died | August 1, 1986(1986-08-01) (aged 86) Encinitas, California |
Paul Detlefsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark.[1] He was the son of a medical doctor.[citation needed] He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before moving to Hollywood to build his reputation as a cartoonist.[citation needed] After not succeeding as an animator,[citation needed] he produced backdrops for films. In the 1920s, he worked under Ferdinand Earle--father of animator Eyvind Earle--on a "motion painting" adaptation of Faust in which Mary Pickford was slated to star.[3] He was nominated at the 17th Academy Awards, along with coworkers John Crouse and Nathan Levinson, for their work on the 1944 film The Adventures of Mark Twain.[1][4][5] The only other films Detlefsen is credited for are The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945), Escape in the Desert (1945), and Shadow of a Woman (1946),[1] but he spent 20 years at Warner Brothers Studios, eventually rising to be in charge of the art department that created matte backdrops.[6]
Detlefsen then shifted to a career in calendar artwork. His art was lithographed into calendars, reproductions, playing cards, jigsaw puzzles, mats for tables, and even four-foot wide wall murals.[7] His first calendar, published in 1951, was "The Good Old Days", which focused on landscape art.[2] In 1969, UPI estimated that 80% of all Americans had seen his work.[6]
In 1964, Paul and his wife, Shelly,[citation needed] moved to Encinitas, California where Paul continued painting[citation needed] into the last few months of his life.[1]
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Art research institutes |