Charles Santore: The Artist Who Gave America a Fairytale

It is very important for children that a book has illustrations. Good design makes any story interesting and memorable. More than one generation of Americans grew up on the illustrations of artist Charles Santore. For many, fairy tales are associated only with the images created by Santore, and are no longer separated from them.

Charles Santore was born in 1935 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began drawing before attending school and became determined to become an artist as a teenager. Santore received his degree from the Philadelphia Museum School of Art (now the University of the Arts) in 1956.

The artist began his career as a freelance illustrator, collaborating with newspapers, magazines and agencies. Among Santore's employers were such serious publications as TV Guide, Saturday Evening Post, Time, Life. At the same time, the artist carried out orders to illustrate children's books, considering it more of a hobby that brought pleasure.

In 1986, Charles Santore decided to devote himself entirely to illustration. It was not difficult for him to change his profile – the artist was already known and loved by children and adults. There was a lot of work, and the master worked tirelessly. His illustrations won prizes at exhibitions at the Brandywine River Art Museum and the Society of Illustrators in New York, and were repeatedly shown abroad.

Santore's work has graced the nationwide traveling exhibition "Myth, Magic, and Mystery: One Hundred Years of American Children's Book Illustration." He has received the Society of Illustrators' highest award for outstanding achievement and the Hamilton King Award.

Charles Santore's works can be seen at the Museum of Modern Art, the Brandywine River Museum of Art, and the Free Library of Philadelphia. They are also in private collections around the world. The artist passed away in 2019, but children's books with his illustrations continue to be published today.

Mark Molchan is another famous artist from the USA who creates illustrations for fantasy and fairy tales.