Joseph Csatari

Joseph Csatari (born 1929) is an internationally-acclaimed realist portrait artist, watercolorist and illustrator who has painted both the famous and the familiar in American life for more than fifty years. He honed his unique talent for realism by working with his mentor Norman Rockwell for eight years. As a boy, Csatari had painstakingly recreated Saturday Evening Post covers that Rockwell had painted. In 1977, shortly before Rockwell died, Csatari was commissioned as the official artist of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and was asked to follow in the tradition of his friend Norman Rockwell.ref|Csatari

Early life and career

Csatari studied art at the Academy of Arts, Newark, New Jersey and also at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. In 1953, he became an artist in the layout division in BSA Supply Division's advertising department. In 1958, he became the art director; designing advertising and sales promotional pieces, cover illustrations, and posters. Like his mentor Rockwell, he also served as art director of Boys' Life magazine at the beginning of his career, being named to that position in 1973. This was the time he worked closely with Rockwell. Csatari's job was to come up with possible themes for the paintings and make rough sketches for Rockwell. Once Rockwell decided on a concept, Csatari would gather models and shuttle them up fora photo shoot in the artist's studio in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Csatari often assisted Rockwell on his work at this time as by then Rockwell was aging. In 1976 when Rockwell retired from the calendar commission, the BSA asked Csatari to continue in the Rockwell tradition. Csatari says that while he paints in Rockwell's style, he is no Rockwell, whom he considers in another league.

Since the 1977 BSA calendar, Csatari has made 24 paintings for the Boy Scouts of America, including a painting commemorating the endowment program's 1910 Society. In 1997 an exhibit of these paintings toured the United States at fund-raising events in local councils throughout the country. Though it's not well known, Csatari also painted more than 10 official portraits of BSA presidents and Chief Scout Executives during his career. But it is his paintings of "Boy Scouts being Boy Scouts, having fun in the outdoors, and doing communityservice projects" that he finds most rewarding.ref|Henning

Csatari became a freelance artist in 1977 and has painted for many magazines and companies, as well as having painted designs for two U.S. postage stamps and several book covers. He lives in South River, New Jersey and has a wife and three children. He has received several awards of excellence in Editorial Art Directing from the Society of Illustrators, New York.

In early June 2005, Csatari was awarded the BSA's highest honor, the Silver Buffalo Award. ref|SilverBuffalo In 2008, a twelve-city U.S. tour of Norman Rockwell's and Csatari's artworks is scheduled.ref|Scouting08

Critique of his work

Being an eager and willing disciple of Rockwell, Csatari is often viewed in the same manner, an illustrator, not an artist, who paints in overly sentimental tones when depicting people and Americana. Csatari does not mind these comparisons and critiques, nor did Rockwell. Csatari's paintings of nature are quite accurate and detailed.

Major works

*1975
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1975.jpg1976 Boy Scout Handbook Cover]
*1976
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1976.jpgThe New Spirit]
*1977
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1977.jpgScouting Through The Years]
*1978
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1978.jpgEagle Service Project]
*1979
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1979.jpgThe Reunion]
*1980
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1980.jpgAfter Hours]
*1981
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1981.jpgThe Patrol Leader]
*1982
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1982.jpgFamily Camping]
*1983
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1983.jpgThe Strength Of Scouting Through Volunteers]
*1985
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1985.jpgIt's A Boys' Life]
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1985a.jpgSpirit Lives On]
*1986
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1987.jpgValues That Last A Lifetime]
*1987
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1987.jpgA Winter Camping Scene]
*1988
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1988.jpgYou Can Do It]
*1989
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1989.jpgThe Scoutmaster]
*1990
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1990.jpgScouting For All Seasons]
*1991
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1991.jpgFlorida Sea Base]
*1992
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1992.jpgA Good Turn]
*1994
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1994.jpgA Scout is Reverent]
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1994a.jpgCharacter Counts]
*1995
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1995.jpgPass It On]
*1996
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1996.jpgScouting Values]
*1997
** [http://scouters.us/images/c1997.jpgUrban Good Turn]
*2000
** [http://scouters.us/images/c90th.jpgHappy 90th Birthday]
** [http://scouters.us/images/c2000.jpgOut of the Past, Into The Future]
*2001
** [http://scouters.us/images/c2001.jpgJamboree]
*2002
** [http://scouters.us/images/c2002.jpgPrepared To Do A Good Turn]

Footnotes

#Note|Csatari cite web|url=http://www.csatari.com |work=Csatari Artwork|title="Csatari's official site"|accessdate=January 30|accessyear=2006
#Note|Henning cite web|url=http://home.earthlink.net/~scouters/artist.html#anchor175880 |work=Rockwell and Csatari: Boy Scout Calendar Artists|title="Joseph Csatari"|accessdate=January 30|accessyear=2006
#Note|SilverBuffalo [http://ebs.gmnews.com/news/2005/0609/Front_Page/026.html "Artist has another brush with fame"] by John Dunphy, "Sentinel", June 09, 2005, retrieved January 30, 2006
#Note|Scouting08cite journal |title=Rockwell and Csatari: A tour de force |journal="Scouting" magazine |date=March–April, 2008 |pages=p. 6

References

*cite web|url=http://www.csatari.com/articles.html|work=Csatari official site|title=Joseph Csatari: An American Realist|accessdate=January 30|accessyear=2006 (article by Csatari on Rockwell)
*cite web|url=http://scouters.us/homeart.html|work=Henning Scouting Page|title=Rockwell and Csatari|accessdate=January 30|accessyear=2006
*cite web|url=http://www.bsamuseum.org/exhibits/bio/csatari.html
work=National Scouting Museum|title=Josepeh Csatari|accessdate=January 30|accessyear=2006

External links

*Marchese, John (January–February 2003). [http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0301/a-work.html I Work From Real Life] . "Scouting Magazine".