So Valentine’s Day was this past weekend. In the art world, love is a muse for many. There are a lot of artists that (literally) draw inspiration from their significant others. But how many can say that they work alongside their love in a perfect harmony?
This week I’d like to bring to your attention the Dillon’s.
Leo and Diane Dillon were a pair of illustrators that worked as though they were one artist. The two met in college and would later become quite popular for their illustrations of Harlan Ellison’s many science fiction stories.
They predominantly worked with paints. Beautiful fantasy women placed in the past or the future were perfectly rendered and would come to life on the canvas. But the mediums they used ranged just as much as their styles. Dabbling in printmaking, they had quite the command over the graphic as well.
Most interestingly the credit for every beautiful artwork was evenly distributed as both of their names would go on every one of their pieces.
Their work was on display fairly recently at the Society of Illustrators, October through December. I was there. And I saw. And I was awestruck. I can’t forget it and I can’t help but dream of a romance nearly as wonderful as the one that they had shared.
Leo Dillon and Diane Sorber, Jillian Tamaki and Sam Weber, Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel… Are there any other great artist couples you can think of?