National Velvet Cover Original Artwork, Graphic Bold Color

Color field painting meets children’s book illustration in the present work.
A warm and fussy Americana narrative is depicted in an unexpected illustration style, characterized by vast expanses of flat, unmodulated color, simplified forms, and hard-edged shapes spread across the picture plane. The work exhibits the emotive power of color, combined with graphics, to attract the consumer's attention. From a contemporary perspective, 64 years after its creation, the artwork stands out as a highly original and powerful example of mid-century illustration.

The story of a 14-year-old girl named Velvet Brown, who trains and rides her horse, King, to victory in the Grand National steeplechase. This is the Whitman-authorized edition based on MGM's National Velvet, as seen on national television in 1944. National Velvet by Dorothy Haas, Illustrations by Al Andersen.
The artist did a lot of children's books for Whitman Publishers.
Mid-century artist and illustrator Al Anderson was recruited by Golden Books and Whitman Books to illustrate stories with Disney, Hanna-Barbera, and MGM characters.
Signed lower center, unframed.