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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 19 august 2019

Charles Santore, illustrator of children’s books, dies at 84

By KRISTEN DE GROOT quently created portraits The Woodmere Art Muse-
Associated Press of celebrities for TV Guide um hosted a retrospective
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — in the 1970s and 1980s. His of his work last year. He is
Charles Santore, an illus- Redd Foxx TV Guide cover the recipient of numerous
trator known for his richly was recently added to the awards including the Soci-
detailed and whimsical in- collection of the National ety of Illustrators Award of
terpretations of classic chil- Portrait Gallery in Wash- Excellence and the Hamil-
dren’s books has died, his ington D.C. Other covers ton King Award.
daughter said Friday. are in the collection of the His works are in the perma-
Christina Santore said her Woodmere Art Museum. nent collections of the Mu-
father died Sunday after a Santore’s work appeared seum of Modern Art in New
brief illness in Philadelphia, in the Saturday Evening York, the Brandywine River
where he was born, raised Post, Esquire, Good House- Museum of Art outside Phil-
and worked. He was 84. keeping and he even cre- adelphia and the Free Li-
He spent over three de- This undated photo provided by Christina Santore shows her ated a poster for the 1964 brary of Philadelphia.
cades reimagining classic father, Charles Santore. World’s Fair. “Charlie’s imagination is
children’s tales like L. Frank Associated Press After over 20 years doing extraordinary,” said John
Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz,” illustration was created around pool halls, accord- magazine work, Running Whalen, publisher of Cider
Beatrix Potter’s “The Tale of with an eye to detail that ing to an interview in Com- Press approached him to Mill Press, who commis-
Peter Rabbit,” Grimm fairy- was uniquely his. His light- munication Arts magazine . illustrate “The Complete sioned Santore to create
tales and Aesop’s fables. ing, reminiscent of Maxfield He drew portraits of neigh- Tales of Peter Rabbit and many works and compared
“Charlie Santore was an Parrish, enveloped colorful borhood characters for Other Stories” in the 1980’s. his talent to Norman Rock-
artistic treasure in the in- characters with lush atmo- cash, and was encouraged He was hooked. well and N.C. Wyeth. “He
dustry. He created worlds spheres to create stunning- by teachers to focus on art. “An advertisement runs would take a scene and
that were familiar but el- ly beautiful landscapes.” He said his world opened in a magazine today and think ‘How would a child
evated them beyond the Santore grew up in a work- up when he was accepted someone wraps fish in it see that in their head?’ He
scope of our imagination,” ing-class Italian neighbor- to Philadelphia’s Museum the next day,” Santore told helped guide them into the
said Running Press Kids cre- hood in south Philadelphia, School of Art, which is now Communication Arts. “With world of Charles Santore.”
ative director Frances Soo and described himself as a The University of the Arts. a book, you know it’s going Santore is survived by his
Ping Chow, who worked tough kid who was com- Santore started off as a to be around.” He some- three children, Christina,
with Santore for over a de- pensating for a stutter by magazine illustrator, had times took years to finish Charles III and Nicholas. His
cade. “Each extensively re- throwing punches, smok- a successful freelance ad- paintings for books, work- wife of 55 years, Olenka,
searched and composed ing at age 11, and hanging vertising career and fre- ing primarily in watercolor. died in April.q