Jerome Snyder

Self-taught and self-made, Jerome Snyder was an artist of uncommonly high order whose extraordinary knowledge and literary abilities were inexorably intertwined and were inseparable from his fanciful visual concepts. In the 50’s as the first Art Director ofSports Illustrated, he introduced contemporary illustration to editorial matter in an arena previously the domain of photography. In the 60s, as Art Director ofScientific American, he was well equipped for a job that demanded erudition and comprehension for visual interpretation. Intelligence and multi-faceted skills are reflected in Snyder’s paintings and drawings. Larger forms are composed of myriad mosaics of many-colored smaller areas.

In the absence of color, his delicate, meticulous drawings demonstrate control of line, secure draftsmanship, thoughtful interpretation and a surprising agility for caricature. Later, a new mood evolvessudden beautiful realism executed with deftness and enormous technical facility.

 
Although visual efforts were his priority, Snyder was devoted to the written word. His critiques appeared in Graphics, CA, Idea and U&lc. Under the rubric,Underground Gourmet, Jerome Snyder andMilton Glasercollaborated to report on low priced restaurants serving well-prepared food, in weekly comments and several books of national renown. Seminal artist, writer, teacher, his perceptions at once intellectual and aesthetic, Jerome Snyder’s legacy is of picture and word in vibrant unity. His line and language exude clarity and wit, tenderness and vision. He accepted his talents, mined his resources. He used himself for lasting performance.

Jerome Snyder was born in 1916 in New York City. He has taught at Cooper Union, The American University of Biarritz, the Pratt Institute, the Parsons School of Design, and the Yale School of Fine Arts.