Patrick Nagel
Patrick Nagel (1945 - 1984) was an American artist, known for
his focus on women and the female form, in the Art Deco style.Nagel
was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1945. However, he was raised and spent
most of his life in the Los Angeles area.In his lifetime he created
hundreds of paintings and prints emphasizing the simple grace of
and beauty of the female body. Many of his works became pinups,
and posters, though surprisingly few featured nudity.
Nagel's work is reminiscent of Japanese woodblock prints and has
Art Deco styling, yet since it is contemporary appeal for it is
universal. Nagel would start with a photograph and work down, always
simplifying and removing elements which he felt were unnecessary.
The resulting image would look flat, but emphasized those elements
which he felt were most important.Through work connected with Playboy
and the pop group Duran Duran, for which he did a best selling album
cover, Nagel and his work garnered international acclaim.Nagel died
at the age of 38 from a heart attack.
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