Paul Detlefsen

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Paul Detlefsen (October 3, 1899 - August 1, 1986)^[1] was a commercial artist of the mid to late 20th century, associated with the "Hollywood scene".^[2] He is famous for his realistic depictions of serene, nostalgic scenes and the many forms of reproductions from his works.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Biography

Paul Detlefsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark.^[1] He was the son of a medical doctor.^{[citation needed]} He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before moving to Hollywood to build his reputation as a cartoonist.^{[citation needed]} After not succeeding as an animator,^{[citation needed]} he produced backdrops for films. He was nominated for the 17th Academy Awards, along with coworkers John Crouse and Nathan Levinson, for their work on the 1944 film The Adventures of Mark Twain.^[3][1] The only other films Detlefsen is known to have worked on are The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945), Escape in the Desert (1945), and Shadow of a Woman (1946).^[1]

A drop in movie sales prompted a shift in career into calendar artwork.^{[citation needed]} His art was lithographed into calendars, reproductions, playing cards, jigsaw puzzles, and mats for tables. His first calendar, published in 1951, was "The Good Old Days", which focused on landscape art.^[2]

In 1964, Paul and his wife, Shelly,^{[citation needed]} moved to Encinitas, California where Paul continued painting^{[citation needed]} into the last few months of his life.^[1]

[edit] References