About Tyrus Wong
Image: Close-up of Tyrus Wong in his 1928 class photo
Tyrus Wong (1910-2016) was an artist who worked in many areas---painting, animation, illustration, murals, ceramics, lithography, and more. He moved effortlessly between fine art, movie production, and commercial illustration, and in his later years, he also enjoyed kite-making. Notably, Tryus was the lead production artist who created the backgrounds for Bambi (1942).
Tyrus attended the Otis Art Institute from approximately 1928 to 1932. He cherished his time at Otis (watch the Otis Legacy Project interview below) and was active in the campus community as an alum. In 2013, he headlined the Otis Kite Festival.
Before coming to Otis, Tyrus migrated from China to California with his father in 1920. Tyrus lived in California up until his passing in 2016.
- Visit Tyrus Wong's "Outstanding Alumnx" Profile Information on the Otis website about Tyrus Wong
Films and Interviews
- Tyrus (2017) (full video) Otis alumnx. Documentary about 105-year old Guangzhou-born, L.A. based visual artist, Tyrus Wong and his breathtaking scope of work across multiple artistic mediums and his personal and professional journey navigating racial bigotry in 20th century America.
This film is available on DVD and streaming.
- Otis Legacy Project: Tyrus Wong (2007) Video interview by Otis students from 2007
The FULL INTERVIEW is available on DVD in the Millard Sheets Library and online via the Otis Legacy Project guide (limited access).
Books About Tyrus
Background Artist: The Life and Work of Tyrus Wong by
You might not know the name Tyrus Wong, but you probably know some of the images he created, including scenes from the beloved Disney classic Bambi. Yet when he came to this country as a child, Tyrus was an illegal immigrant locked up in an offshore detention center. How did he go on to a long and prosperous career drawing animation cels, storyboards, and greeting cards that shaped the American imagination? Background Artist shares the inspiring story of Tyrus Wong's remarkable 106-year life and showcases his wide array of creative work, from the paintings and fine art prints he made working for Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration to the unique handmade kites he designed and flew on the Santa Monica beach. It tells how he came to the United States as a ten-year-old boy in 1920, at a time when the Chinese Exclusion Act barred him from legal citizenship. Yet it also shows how Wong found American communities that welcomed him and nurtured his artistic talent. Covering everything from his work as a studio sketch artist for Warner Bros. to the best-selling Christmas cards he designed for Hallmark and other greeting card companies, this book celebrates a multitalented Asian American artist and pioneer.
Call Number: PRECATISBN: 9781978838413Publication Date: 2024-10-11
Paper Son: the Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist by
Before he became an artist named Tyrus Wong, he was a boy named Wong Geng Yeo. He traveled across a vast ocean from China to America with only a suitcase and a few papers. Not papers for drawing--which he loved to do--but immigration papers to start a new life. Once in America, Tyrus seized every opportunity to make art, eventually enrolling at an art institute in Los Angeles. Working as a janitor at night, his mop twirled like a paintbrush in his hands. Eventually, he was given the opportunity of a lifetime--and using sparse brushstrokes and soft watercolors, Tyrus created the iconic backgrounds ofBambi. Julie Leung and Chris Sasaki perfectly capture the beautiful life and work of a painter who came to this country with dreams and talent--and who changed the world of animation forever.
Call Number: NC 965 S274 P36 2019ISBN: 9781524771874Publication Date: 2019-09-24
Water to Paper, Paint to Sky by
Water to Paper, Paint to Sky is the first comprehensive retrospective of America's oldest living artist Tyrus Wong, whose groundbreaking work on Walt Disney's classic animation film Bambi influenced a generation of leading animators, including John Lasseter, Pete Docter, and Don Hahn. Tyrus Wong's ability to evoke powerful feeling in his art with simple gestural compositions continues to inspire each new generation of artists, and his influence can still be seen in movies today. "Tyrus Wong's sophistication of expression was a gigantic leap forward for the medium. Where other films were literal...Bambi was expressive and emotional. Tyrus painted feelings, not objects." -- John Lasseter, Academy-Award winning director Born in 1910 in Canton, China, Tyrus Wong immigrated as a young boy to the United States, where he has enjoyed a long, distinguished, and diverse artistic career as a prolific painter, illustrator, calligrapher, lithographer, muralist, designer, Hollywood sketch artist, ceramicist, and kitemaker. Tyrus is legendary for his innovative work on Walt Disney Studio's classic animation film Bambi, in which his singular vision and evocative, impressionistic concept art caught the eye of Walt Disney himself and influenced the movie's overall visual style.
Call Number: N6537 W65 A4 2013ISBN: 9781616286828Publication Date: 2013-09-24Mid-century Mandarin: the clay canvases of Tyrus Wong by
Call Number: NK4210 W65 2004ISBN: 9780975472507Publication Date: 2004
Walt Disney's Bambi by
In celebration of the spectacular 55th anniversary of this beloved film, Walt Disney's Bambi, The Sketchbook Series brings together for the first time high quality reproductions of beautiful animation drawings, inspirational sketches, and background paintings that display some of the best draftsmanship in the history of the medium.Bambi, the classic story of the gentle fawn and the seasonal joys and sorrows of life in the forest, has warmed and inspired the hearts of all ages since the film was first released in 1942. Universally considered a miracle of animation, generations of movie-goers have venerated the simple beauty of the film's animation art, which stunningly captures the forest's full kaleidoscope of colors and seasons, from the luminescent green sunshine of early spring to the snowy darkness of mid-winter.Featuring the work of Disney animation greats such as Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, Marc Davis, Tyrus Wong, and art director Tom Codrik, fans will understand how each of the beloved characters evolved and transformed into animation. With more than 75 pencil sketches from the original animator's hand and 12 full-color
Call Number: NC1766 U53 B35 1997ISBN: 0786863021Publication Date: 1997-04-01
- More Library Items Related to Tyrus WongBooks and movies that feature or mention Tyrus Wong
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