"Coed Tourists in Italy, Post cover" Lot no. 4779
By Constantin Alajalov (American- 1900-1987)
1958
25.5" x 20"
Gouache on board
Signed Lower Left
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Cover of The Saturday Evening Post, August 2, 1958
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Editorial text on page 3 of the Post with this featured illustration:
"Artist Alajalov, reaching for a dictionary which once helped him through a tour of Italy’s hill towns, describes those U.S lasses as bellezze- the belles, the beauties. And with his brush he brings us a charming blend of customs and costumes old and new. On one fair head a pony tail, on another a jug of water from the town fountain. Short pants- long skirts; radio. Record player- a can of benzina in case it’s a long pull to the next benzina station. Could it be, marvel the onlookers, that those signorine are traipsing around Europe completely without chaperones? It could. Well then, beauties let’s go; but heed well those newfangled traffic signs on the oldfangled architecture. Speed 10 kilometers, says 6 mph; zigzag road: and that slant- crossed “P” means no parking."
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In Coed Tourists in Italy, Alajálov portrays the Golden Age of Travel, a post-World War II era when a strong US dollar and advances in transportation made European tourism a growing trend among Americans. With humor and warmth, he illustrates young, independent American women attempting to fit their many purchases into a classic roadster, while a village watches on. This cover of The Saturday Evening Post offers a fascinating glimpse, not only into how Americans saw themselves but also how they were perceived by the world.
Explore related art collections: Saturday Evening Post Covers / Automotive/Transport / 1950s / Humor / Family
See all original artwork by Constantin Alajalov
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Constantin Alajalov sold his first cover to The New Yorker magazine in 1926, and continued to paint a long and colorful series of satirical vignettes of American life for both The New Yorker and The Saturday Evening Post until 1962.
Alajalov was born in the Russian town of Rostov-on-the-Don. The Revolution came when he was seventeen and a student at the University of Petrograd. He survived this period by working as a government artist, painting huge propaganda pictures and portraits, and in 1921, he made his way to Constantinople, which was an international refugee haven.
Although largely self-taught as an artist, Alajalov earned a precarious living by sketching portraits in bars or painting sidewalk advertisements for movie houses. He progressed to doing murals for night clubs, taking mostly food as payment. After two years of this, he saved enough to pay his passage to America.
Once here, Alajalov resumed painting murals, in Russian night clubs, and within three years had sold that first New Yorker cover. For the rest of his career, he continued to give us a candid and humorous look at our foibles.