images above via animation resources
Among Nielson's early work is The Twelve Dancing Princesses, shown above. You can see the influence of Aubrey Beardsley in this work, but Swedish Fairy Tale artist John Bauer also had a big influence on his career.
images above via Art Passions
Illustrations above from Hansel and Gretel
image via Art Passions
The illustration above from Six Swans, one of Grimm's Fairy Tales, is very compelling and dynamic.
All the illustrations below are from East of the Sun and West of the Moon (1914), considered to be Nielsen's masterpiece. Written by Gudrun Thorne-Thomsen and comprised of 15 Nordic tales, Nielsen's 25 watercolor illustrations
defined the book.
image via Bonza Sheila's Art of Love
image via Sue Ding
image via KingPaper
image via Art Passions
image via nowthatithinkofit...
What impresses me about Kay Nielsen's work is not only his excellent draftsmanship, but the imagination that went into his fantastical watercolor illustrations. In illustrations like the one above, there is such attention to detail and decoration but also wide open areas that enhance what he has done and also give the eyes a place to rest.
Below are a couple links with biographical information and more images of
Kay Nielsen's work.
http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/nielsen.htm
http://nielsen.artpassions.net/
