Dream Castle in the Sky

Parrish brought together a harmonious group of elements: a nude figure with panpipes who gazes longingly at a castle perched on a craggy cliff across a lake. Parrish’s skillful lines and details gave his work a photographic quality and made him an incredibly popular painter and illustrator. But color was his secret weapon. He achieved his trademark luminous color, seen here especially in the lake and trees, by building up layers of colored glazes on the surface of the painting. It is said that at the height of his career, one in four American homes had a Parrish—usually a print, illustrated book, or magazine cover.