For many aficionados of the New Yorker magazine, the drawings of Peter Arno, William Steig, Charles Addams, and Saul Steinberg epitomize its sophisticated wit and disarming humor. In The Comic Worlds of Peter Arno, William Steig, Charles Addams, and Saul Steinberg, the first full-scale scholarly study of the subject, Iain Topliss considers the work of each artist, traces the development of his art, and recalls the cultural and social context in which it was created.
Topliss delves into the nature of humor and the elements that make successful cartoons funny, paying special attention to matters of style and technique. He draws particular attention to the ways in which these four artists mocked the status quo without alienating the magazine's readers. Indeed, argues Topliss, the New Yorker's cartoons helped define American consciousness in the mid-twentieth century.
Illustrated with more than fifty drawings from the artists published in the magazine between 1925 and 1975, The Comic Worlds of Peter Arno, William Steig, Charles Addams, and Saul Steinberg recognizes the achievements of these talented artists and their distinctive contribution to American culture.
Ambitious study of four of the New Yorker magazine's most notable cartoonists.
Very intelligent... A good collection of notable cartoons.
Delight, mixed with criticism, is apparent throughout.
— Nina C. Ayoub
If you like the New Yorker magazine, you'll love this book. If you aren't yet an aficionado, you probably will be by the time you've dipped into a chapter or two.
The author gives us a look at art central to the first fifty years of The New Yorker, art that might at first seem peripheral to American culture of the time, but feels absolutely central after reading this insightful and perceptive study.
Thorough, often brilliant, portraits of these artists.
Soundly argued, meticulously researched, gorgeously illustrated and utterly fun reading... writes with satisfying authority and pleasurably crisp prose. 'Academic' this book may be, but don't let that stop you from letting Topliss guide you through every conceivable aspect of all these brilliantly twisted artists and their larger contexts.
| Introduction : the scope of the cartoon | 1 | |
| 1 | Peter Arno : the last days of cabaret | 21 |
| 2 | William Steig : art, armor, and amour | 75 |
| 3 | Charles Addams : comic American gothic | 135 |
| 4 | Saul Steinberg : the lifeline from A to B | 181 |
| Conclusion : laughing with The New Yorker | 239 |
Overview
For many aficionados of the New Yorker magazine, the drawings of Peter Arno, William Steig, Charles Addams, and Saul Steinberg epitomize its sophisticated wit and disarming humor. In The Comic Worlds of Peter Arno, William Steig, Charles Addams, and Saul Steinberg, the first full-scale scholarly study of the subject, Iain Topliss considers the work of each artist, traces the development of his art, and recalls the cultural and social context in which it was created.
Topliss ...