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photo found on MagicofMaryBlair.com |
October 21, 2011. Google is honoring the extraordinary artist and woman, Mary Blair, for her innovative work in forming the beloved art we know in Disney and children's literature. Mary would have been 100 years old today. Google's logo is displayed in a colorful, whimsical patchwork design that encapsulates the spirit of Mary Blair and her endearing artwork that brings a smile to both young and old.
One quintessential and global example of Mary's contribution, that has been seen and experienced by millions, is "It's A Small World" found in the Disney theme parks. The colorful and cheerful floating boat ride parading through countries not only demonstrates Mary's unique artistic style but also conveys a unity that connects all people.
Her work can be seen on MagicofMaryBlair.com
As found on Disney's Bio of Mary Blair, Mary is described as the beloved, creative artist and an imaginative color stylist and designer. Mary Blair helped introduce modern art to Walt Disney and his Studio, and for nearly 30 years, Disney touted her inspirational work for his films and theme parks alike. Animator Marc Davis, who put Mary's exciting use of color on a par with Matisse, recalled, "She brought modern art to Walt in a way that no one else did. He was so excited about her work."
Animator Frank Thomas added, "Mary was the first artist I knew of to have different shades of red next to each other. You just didn't do that! But Mary made it work."
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Walt connected with Mary's fresh, childlike art style. As Disney Imagineering artist Roland Crump once told animation historian John Canemaker, "The way she (Mary) painted - in a lot of ways she was still a little girl. Walt was like that... You could see he could relate to children - she was the same way."
Born in McAlester, Oklahoma, in 1911, the inherently gifted artist won a scholarship to Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. After graduation in 1933, at the height of the Depression, Mary took a job in the animation unit of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) rather than pursue her dream of a fine arts career.
In 1940, she joined The Walt Disney Studios and worked on a number of projects, including the never-produced "Baby Ballet," part of a proposed second version of "Fantasia." (Walt's original idea was to periodically re-release "Fantasia" with new sequences.)
In 1941, she joined the Disney expedition that toured South America for three months and painted watercolors that so captured the spirit of the Latin countries that she was named art supervisor on "The Three Caballeros" and "Saludos Amigos." Mary's unique color and styling greatly influenced such Disney postwar productions as "Song of the South," "Make Mine Music," "Melody Time," "So Dear to My Heart," "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad," "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland," and "Peter Pan." She also contributed to special shorts, including "The Little House" and "Susie, the Little Blue Coupe."
Walt asked Mary to assist in the design of the It's a Small World attraction, which is pure Mary Blair in its style and concept, for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. Over the years, she contributed to the design of many exhibits, attractions, and murals at the theme parks in California and Florida, including the fanciful murals in the Grand Canyon Concourse at the Contemporary Hotel at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Mary Blair died July 26, 1978, in Soquel, California.
