Herbert Ryman
| Herbert D. Ryman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Herbert Dickens Ryman, Jr. June 28, 1910 Vernon, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 10, 1989 (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
Millikin University Art Institute of Chicago |
| Known for | Disney artist and imagineer |
| Notable work | The First Disneyland schematic Sleeping Beauty Castle Cinderella Castle |
| Awards | Disney Legends - 1990 |
| Memorial(s) | Ryman Arts |
Herbert Dickens Ryman (June 28, 1910 – February 10, 1989) was an artist and Disney Imagineer. Ryman worked in watercolor, oils, and pen & ink sketches. In 1953 Ryman drew the first illustrations of Walt Disney's vision of a theme park that eventually became Disneyland.
Ryman was born in Vernon, Illinois, son of Dr. Herbert D. Ryman (1878-1918) and Cora Belle Ryman née: Norris (1876-1963). His family moved to Decatur, IL when he was age 9. While attending Millikin University, he became deathly ill with scarlet fever. His mother was opposed to his artistic ambitions and wanted him to pursue a medical degree. But as his sickness worsened, she told him that he could attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He graduated cum laude in 1932 from the Art Institute of Chicago.
In 1932 Ryman moved to California, where he found a job as a storyboard illustrator in the art department of Cedric Gibbons at Metro-Golden-Mayer Studios. For a period, during Hollywood's "golden age", he was the sole artist and illustrator for MGM Studios. He helped design many major pictures for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and 20th Century Fox including the screen styling of David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, Mutiny on the Bounty, and Anna Karenina. His work on The Good Earth project inspired him to leave his job at MGM and tour China where he made many sketches. His last work at MGM was the Emerald City segment of The Wizard of Oz.
In 1938 he returned to California, where he met Walt Disney as a result of an exhibit of Ryman's works at the Chouinard Art Institute. Walt was so impressed with the paintings that he invited Herb to join the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank). Herb went on to serve as an art director for such feature-length animated classics as Fantasia and Dumbo.
In the late summer of 1941, Ryman toured with Walt Disney, other Disney Studio artists, and management personnel on a three-month "Good Will Tour of South America", through an invitation from Nelson Rockefeller, Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs. The tour was part of an Allied effort to maintain solid relations with southern countries in the Western Hemisphere. They traveled by aircraft and regional railway systems connecting the countries of Brazil, Bolivia, Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, and Mexico. Production of the two Disney classics Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros, resulted from this trip.
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