Harold Speed

[Steven Sweeney]

As anticipated, Dover replies:

Thank you for your message asking for information regarding the cover of our "Oil Painting Techniques" book.

Unfortunately, there is no way to reconstruct the reasons why a certain picture was chosen for one of our covers. However, it is possible we did not have a good transparency of one of the author's paintings to work from.

I say "as anticipated," because I once worked in editorial at a publishing company where a friend was the production editor for a college-level art overview text. Watching the decision-making process relating to the book's cover art was a bit like watching the grinding of sausage bits. (Poor productions values in the first run off the presses nearly cost jobs and certainly spoiled careers.) All editors involved -- and their story, should someone write in to ask about it -- have long since moved on.

[Anwar Shaikh]

Well, I can see the painting on Speeds' book as fairly appropriate. The painting is by John Singer Sargent. Still, it is quite about technique isn't it? So is the book. I've seached around and cannot find an unfinished Harold Speed painting. But the one on the cover shows that essential palette in full effect as well as the rather brushy technique which would be natural if one goes about painting in the manner described by H. Speed. A few little points though. Speed recommends flat long hogs and the marks on the painting were done from these as well as filberts. That Davy's grey seems in play here. Sargent looks to have toned the ground to a light muted sienna before painting which was also alluded to in the book. I think if they were to put one of Speed's paintings up there it would not get the attention it deserves in a sense. The paintings I have found on the Web by Speed are well done and not showcasing technique such as a Sargent is liable to do.