Dutch Flagship Brederode Original Painting by British Artist
Brian Sanders (1937)
Oil on Masonite. Signed lower right.
This painting was published on the Republic
of the Marshall Islands History's Greatest Fighting Ships sheetlet issued
December 1, 1998.
Provenance: from the collection of James A.
Helzer (1946-2008), who was the founder of Unicover Corporation, the largest marketer of philatelic and numismatic commemoratives.
There is full inventory information on
verso.
Image Size: 10.5 x 13 in.
Overall Size: 14.5 x 17 in.
Unframed.
The 17th century Dutch flagship Brederode
was built using the most advanced technology of the day, some borrowed from the
English following their victory over the Armada. It was the largest Dutch ship
of the period.
Artist Brian Sanders
Brian Sanders was born in
London in 1937, where he attended St. Olave’s Grammar School, by Tower Bridge.
His childhood, along with thousands of other children in London, was disrupted
during World War Two when he was evacuated to the countryside. Sanders was sent
to Saffron Walden in North Essex, close to where he now lives.
Whilst still at school Sanders studied at the
respected Sir John Cass College of Art in Whitechapel before embarking upon a
junior career in advertising, however, in 1956 his career was interrupted by
National Service. Serving in the Royal Marines he saw action during the
Suez crisis, spending most of his service in and around North Africa and the
Mediterranean. In the final year of his service he worked in surveillance,
largely due to his technical drawing skills.
Sanders returned to London in 1959 and began
working as assistant to photographer, Adrian Flowers (replacing Duffy who moved
to Vogue). Flowers was a well-known
photographer, working in advertising and as a portrait photographer for many
celebrities at that time, including Twiggy and Vanessa Redgrave. Sanders
assisted Flowers with background painting and visualising, helping to secure
major advertising accounts. This role provided the financial stability needed
in order for Sanders to work on and build his portfolio before he was able to
establish himself as a freelance artist.
In 1959 Sanders joined Artist Partners, a
leading London Creative agency set up in 1950. Based in Soho, it represented
leading artists, illustrators, designers and photographers. He quickly came to
the attention of founding partner Betty Luton White, who engineered commissions
for major publishing houses, newspapers, advertising agencies, design groups,
television, filmmakers and government institutions. During this time Sanders
often worked with Joy Hannington, Art Editor at Homes and Gardens. Hannington
proved crucial in boosting the careers of a number of successful illustrators,
including Sanders. She allowed Sanders, and the other illustrators with whom
she worked, the creative freedom to develop their individual styles and forms
of expression.
The 1960s was a booming time for magazine
illustration. The work was experimental and reflected the excitement of the
times. The medium was new, the compositions were off-kilter and the colours
were brighter. The illustration of this era was a direct product of the
“Swinging Sixties”, mirroring the new trends in fashion and music and Sanders
looked increasingly to the techniques adopted by American illustrators. Notably
he worked with acrylic paint to develop what was referred to as the ‘bubble and
streak’ effect. A technique initially created by US masters of illustration
such as Joe DeMers and Bernie Fuchs, it was Scottish illustrator Wilson McLean,
then working in the US, who sent Sanders his first set of acrylics as they were
not available in the U.K. at the time.
Throughout the second half of the 1960s, Sanders
continued with editorial work for The
Sunday Times, The Observer, The Telegraph, Nova and other
magazines. Whilst his advertising clients included Ford G.B., Phillips
Eindhoven and The British Army. He also produced illustrations for a number of
film posters including Oh What
A Lovely War, Paint Your Wagon, Darling Lily and Lady Sings The Blues.
In 1965, Sanders was commissioned by Stanley
Kubrick to be on set as a reportage illustrator during the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Sanders
would draw on the set two days per week and work on larger paintings in his
studio, charting the making of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. This was a rare occasion, as Kubrick
often worked with a closed set, strictly controlling access. Sanders’ work for
Stanley Kubrick documenting the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey was celebrated and published
in Taschen’s definitive and highly successful collector’s edition of ‘Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 – A Space Odyssey’.
From 1969 - 1985 Sanders was a director of
Artist Partners. The 1970s were a more challenging time for illustrators, with
magazines moving to more finished work or replacing illustration with
photography, and advertising gravitating from print to television. Despite
this, Sanders was still in demand as a magazine illustrator, often commissioned
by Michael Rand, influential Art Director of The Sunday Times Magazine, for whom he illustrated
many articles; from images of major sports figures to notable spreads for the
first round the world yacht race.
In the early 70s, Sanders was commissioned by
the art editor of Pan Books to re-jacket twenty-six John Steinbeck books which
signalled a return to working in watercolour. As well as the Steinbeck
illustrations Sanders created covers for titles by authors such as
Solzhenitsyn, J. B. Priestley, John Fante and all of the James Herriot books
published in the U.K. and U.S.
As a move to protect illustrators continually
losing copyright and ownership of their work, in 1973 Sanders helped found the
Association of Illustrators. As a Committee Member he went on to represent the
A.O.I. in negotiations with T.U.C., The Whitford Committee on Copyright, The
Publishers Association, The Incorporated Practitioners in Advertising and The
Board of Trade.
In 1985 Sanders and his wife Lizzie moved to
join Brian Grimwood at the newly established Central Illustration Agency, based
in Covent Garden. It’s from this time that Sanders embarked on some
extraordinary illustrations for more than 50 sets of stamps. Notable amongst
these are the five sets of stamps representing the U.K. Police force, the Scout
and Guiding movements and the history of World War II which alone took five
years to complete.
In 2011, when Mad Men series creator Matthew Weiner, inspired by
the painterly illustrations of the 1970s TWA flight menus, wanted a nostalgic
image to promote the sixth season of the acclaimed series, he turned to Brian
Sanders to produce an illustration for the series six poster and DVD packaging.
Sanders continues to work today and remains a
respected figure in the illustration world; through the sheer body of work he
has completed during his extensive career, academic recognition due to his work
as an assessor for various art schools and his professional contribution to the
industry as a founding member of the Association of Illustrators.