Nathan Glick
Encyclopedia
Nathan H. Glick is an American artist and illustrator best known for his work as a combat artist
depicting aerial battles in World War II
. He also worked as art director for Progressive Farmer
magazine, and as the illustrator of several books on early Alabama
history.
Glick was born in Birmingham, Alabama
but finished high school in Montgomery
. He continued his art studies under Eric Pape and George Ennis in New York City
and studied animal anatomy under James L. Clarke at the American Museum of Natural History
.
During the 1930s, Glick was art director for Paragon Press, a small publisher which issued history works by Alabama state archivist Marie Bankhead Owen. She also commissioned him to design the scenes cast in bronze for the doors of Alabama's 1940
Alabama Department of Archives and History
building.
During World War II, Glick was assigned as combat artist for the Ninth Air Force
. He created dramatic scenes of combat in the skies of North Africa, France, India and the South Pacific. The Air Force's public relations department distributed his drawings for publication in Yank
, Stars and Stripes
, The Illustrated London News, Life
and Parade
.
After the end of the war, Glick returned to Birmingham and took a job as art director and illustrator for Progressive Farmer, retiring in 1977. He continued to contribute illustrations of Alabama history to books and helped create a series of fourteen murals for the United States Forest Service
's Forest Heritage Center in Broken Bow, Oklahoma
. His drawings, lithographs and paintings are also sold through private galleries.
The "Nathan Glick Lifetime Achievement Award for Aviation Art" created by Birmingham's Southern Museum of Flight
is named in his honor.
War artist
A war artist depicts some aspect of war through art; this might be a pictorial record or it might commemorate how "war shapes lives." War artists have explored a visual and sensory dimension of war which is often absent in written histories or other accounts of warfare.- Definition and context:A...
depicting aerial battles in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He also worked as art director for Progressive Farmer
Progressive Farmer
DTN/The Progressive Farmer is a country life oriented magazine, published twelve times a year by DTN, a division of Telvent. The magazine is based in Birmingham, Alabama.-History:...
magazine, and as the illustrator of several books on early Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
history.
Glick was born in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
but finished high school in Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
. He continued his art studies under Eric Pape and George Ennis in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and studied animal anatomy under James L. Clarke at the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
.
During the 1930s, Glick was art director for Paragon Press, a small publisher which issued history works by Alabama state archivist Marie Bankhead Owen. She also commissioned him to design the scenes cast in bronze for the doors of Alabama's 1940
1940 in architecture
The year 1940 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:*The Timişoara Orthodox Cathedral, in Timişoara, Romania, is completed.*The Raleigh Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida is built by Lawrence Murray Dixon....
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Alabama Department of Archives and History
The Alabama Department of Archives and History is the official repository of archival records for the U.S. state of Alabama. It was created by an act of the Alabama Legislature on February 27, 1901 with a primary mission of collecting and preserving artifacts relating to the history of the state...
building.
During World War II, Glick was assigned as combat artist for the Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
. He created dramatic scenes of combat in the skies of North Africa, France, India and the South Pacific. The Air Force's public relations department distributed his drawings for publication in Yank
Yank, the Army Weekly
Yank, the Army Weekly was a weekly magazine published by the United States military during World War II. The idea for the magazine came from Egbert White, who had worked on Stars and Stripes during World War I. He proposed the idea to the Army in early 1942, and accepted a commission as Lieutenant...
, Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes (newspaper)
Stars and Stripes is a news source that operates from inside the United States Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. The First Amendment protection which Stars and Stripes enjoys is safeguarded by Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests,...
, The Illustrated London News, Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
and Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
.
After the end of the war, Glick returned to Birmingham and took a job as art director and illustrator for Progressive Farmer, retiring in 1977. He continued to contribute illustrations of Alabama history to books and helped create a series of fourteen murals for the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
's Forest Heritage Center in Broken Bow, Oklahoma
Broken Bow, Oklahoma
Broken Bow is a city in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,230 at the 2000 census. It is named after Broken Bow, Nebraska, the former hometown of the city's founders, the Dierks brothers.-History:...
. His drawings, lithographs and paintings are also sold through private galleries.
The "Nathan Glick Lifetime Achievement Award for Aviation Art" created by Birmingham's Southern Museum of Flight
Southern Museum of Flight
The Southern Museum of Flight is an aviation museum located three blocks east of the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Alabama. It features a valuable collection of aviation artifacts spanning the 20th century in the various areas of aviation. It explores eight decades...
is named in his honor.
External links
- Scenes from Alabama's History, information on the Alabama Archives Building's bronze doors