The delightful illustrations of 'meticulous realist' Stephen Dohanos

There is no need to explain why American illustrator Stephen Dohanos is called a "meticulous realist" by art critics. How else can one characterize a master who strives to convey every little detail in his work? Many consider Dohanos to be the best illustrator in the United States, and it is not easy to dispute this opinion.

Stephen Dohanos (1907-1994) was an illustrator of books and magazines, as well as a fine artist. He mainly depicted funny scenes from the lives of ordinary Americans. Dohanos's works are very similar to those of other American classics - Norman Rockwell and Mort Kunstler.

But unlike his talented contemporaries, Dohanos is extremely attentive to detail. They say that the artist chose the subjects for his works no less carefully than a director chooses a script for a future film. Before starting to create an illustration, Stephen Dohanos made many sketches and schematic drawings. He strove to ensure that everything in his paintings was perfect.

Dohanos' talent was hard to miss, and the artist quickly became popular. He was a member of the National Society of Illustrators and one of the founders of the faculty at the Westport School of Artists in Connecticut.

In addition to creativity, Stephen Dohanos had another passion in his life: philately. He not only collected postage stamps, but also created them. He is the author of more than 300 United States postage stamps. In the 1960s, he was appointed head of the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee. And in 1984, the Post Office Stamp Hall in Washington was opened in his honor, where all of his works for the U.S. Post Office are presented.