Beguiled by the Wild: The Art of Charley Harper

Presenting more than 110 serigraphs accompanied by intriguing, pun-filled captions, this new, revised edition of Beguiled by the Wild: The Art of Charley Harper pays homage to one of America’s most beloved artists. Charley Harper (1922–2007), with his masterly use of simple geometric shapes, patterns, and vivid colors, distilled the essence of each bird, bug, otter, raccoon, or elephant he painted to its most important details. He called his style of painting minimal realism. “Instead of trying to put everything in when I paint, I try to leave everything out. . . . I reduce the subject to the simplest possible visual terms without losing identity, thereby enhancing identity.” Harper’s approach to depicting the natural world is both sophisticated and fun. His works—especially those of cardinals and ladybugs—have become icons of wildlife art.

This new edition of Beguiled by the Wild, originally published in 1994 and long out of print, presents—exclusively—all of the serigraphs Charley Harper produced from 1968 to 2007. Fans of Harper will be happy to see, along with several new images, almost all of their favorites from the original edition.

The original essays by Roger Caras and Charley Harper are joined by a new foreword from the artist’s son, Brett Harper.