В представлении жизни и вещей Говард Пайл (анг. Howard Pyle; 1853-1911) старался уловить естественные аспекты и значения. Отвергая навязанные традиции и авторитет школ, полагал, что, прежде всего, художнику необходимо показать суть вещей, передать внутренний и духовный смысл события – через "ментальную проекцию" создать картину бытия. Тем не менее, это не означало отказа художника изображать элементарные страсти нашей человеческой натуры.
Old Chester Tales
by Margaret Deland
Harper’s New Monthly Magazine
1898
According to data published on the Norman Rockwell Museum website, "Howard Pyle (1853-1911) was one of America’s most popular illustrators and storytellers at the end of the 19th century during a period of explosive growth in the publishing industry. His illustrations appeared in magazines like Harper’s Monthly, St. Nicholas, and Scribner’s Magazine, gaining him both national and international exposure. The broad appeal of his imagery made him a celebrity in his lifetime."
Howard Pyle studied at the Art Students League in New York, but as his student Frank E. Schoonover noted, Pyle was essentially a self-taught artist. In his representation of life and objects, Howard Pyle sought to capture natural aspects and meanings. Rejecting imposed traditions and the authority of schools, he believed that, above all, an artist must show the essence of things and convey the inner and spiritual meaning of an event—to create a picture of existence through "mental projection."