Jeanyee Wong: 1962

Friday, December 21, 2012

UNICEF Christmas Card

Two Thousand Years of Calligraphy
A Three-part Exhibition Organized by the Baltimore Museum of Art,

the Peabody Institute Library, the Walters Art Gallery
A Comprehensive Catalog
Taplinger Publishing Company, 1980

214 UNICEF Christmas Card

New York City, 1962.
1 paper leaf, 4.625 x 5.75 inches; ink, color; italic hand.
Lent by the Artist

Jeanyee Wong, calligrapher, designer and illustrator, was born in San

Francisco. She has been interested in drawing and reading books since

early childhood. She started to study Chinese at the age of three and

has been influenced by the beauty of Chinese calligraphy. The love of

this combination of drawing, reading and calligraphy is undoubtedly

reflected in her work in the field of book-jacket design and illustration.

She studied sculpture and ceramics in high school, but her formal art

education began at the Cooper Union Art School in New York. There,

in addition to painting and sculpture, she studied design, lettering and
advertising. Later she was associated with Fritz Kredel as an apprentice
to learn illustration technique and woodcutting. At the same time
she started free-lance art work which has continued to this day. In
addition to book-jacket design and illustration, her work includes

maps, Christmas cards, advertising lettering and testimonial award
certificates. The greeting which she contributed to UNICEF for its
Christmas cards has made its way into millions of homes throughout
the world. She is now engaged in illustrating a book of Oriental fairy
tales compiled by Pearl Buck.

Jeanyee Wong has illustrated or decorated more than thirty books,

some of them completely hand written. Quite a number of the books

contain Oriental or medieval themes which are especially suitable
to the decorative style of the artist who likes pen or brush line work
and flat colors.

(Click on image to enlarge)