The world of illustration art is full of mysteries. An illustration is commissioned for a specific editorial purpose, say to enhance an article or a short story. It is accepted or rejected, kept as is or modified, and either published or not published. Years later the original artwork may turn up devoid of any context and leave us to ponder what must have been its original intention. Some illustrators annotate their artwork with scrupulous publication histories. Others do not.
Take this drawing by Edward Gorey. It depicts a writer sitting inside a cheese wheel setting pen to paper on a moonlit night. We are told that it may have been published in the New York Times. It is at once atmospheric and absurd. What exactly is going on? Is this meant to illustrate a meditation on the preposterous difficulty of writing about cheese, a challenge akin to the more well-known task of writing discerningly about wine? Is it about ready-made snacking during the creative process? Surely it cannot be, as my attention-grabbing title glibly suggests, about writing "cheesy" prose.
It's been five years since this drawing was auctioned at Illustration House and possibly we may never know what it's all about. But it's also possible that someone reading this will recognize the piece and step forward to solve the whole mystery.
I'm patiently waiting....
Illustration House
December 8, 2007
Take this drawing by Edward Gorey. It depicts a writer sitting inside a cheese wheel setting pen to paper on a moonlit night. We are told that it may have been published in the New York Times. It is at once atmospheric and absurd. What exactly is going on? Is this meant to illustrate a meditation on the preposterous difficulty of writing about cheese, a challenge akin to the more well-known task of writing discerningly about wine? Is it about ready-made snacking during the creative process? Surely it cannot be, as my attention-grabbing title glibly suggests, about writing "cheesy" prose.
It's been five years since this drawing was auctioned at Illustration House and possibly we may never know what it's all about. But it's also possible that someone reading this will recognize the piece and step forward to solve the whole mystery.
I'm patiently waiting....
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| Edward Gorey, writer inside giant cheese wheel, Illustration House |
December 8, 2007
| Lot 49 | Edward Gorey | Gavel=$1,900. +15%=$2,185. |
0533
I'm happy to see this illustration. And as for patiently awaiting the back-story, I can supply that story. I thought I had done it on a blog "back then". Perhaps not here. OK, here goes succinctly.
ReplyDeleteI was a very young artist who had met and worked with J.C.Suares before he became the new Art Director for the newly designed Op-Ed Page of The New York Times (NYT). He brought me into the august NYT Building on 43rd St. to do small drawings for the Letters to the Editor, and then after a few of those, he trusted me with occasional Op Ed drawings. What was so special was the deadline. 3PM. So often, I'd come over to the NYC and await an assignment. As the year was about circa 1972-73, I would assume checking the Archive of the Times would confirm both date and Op-Ed status.
How I come into the story is simply this...Edward Gorey was there on the 10 Floor vast open graphics dept. "guest-artists" and production area. I recognized him and went over to "say hello, but stay out of the way" . He was sketching on a pad, and the rule when artists, or designers were in production at a graphics table, is obviously DON'T DISTURB. He smiled at my hello, and we got into a fine conversation as I told him about the several drawings I had with J.C.... J.C. Suares was a very special man, known (he could be tough, so I can't totally say appreciated)
to be quick on the opinion, and imagining what he wanted often obviously "up front". In the case of this drawing assigned to Gorey, Gorey moaned that he didn't have a damn idea what to draw. As we talked, he looked more closely at me, and said after a while off-handedly..."Let me draw you." I was somewhat taken aback, but after REALLY? said, SURE.
So he sketched me for about ten ininutes, leaned over with it when he was done, barely giving me a glance of a profile. It looked like a handsome profile of me. Kinda. As if I were a Gorey character. Not classic Gorey, in in PBS MYSTERY! sense, Just a sketch.
And then he said, "Hey, that was fun. Nice to meet you, Dennis." And the great man was gone.
The illustration appeared large, of course, some days later, perhaps a week... I must find that date. I have "my copy" of the original page in my achives in the closet in my studio. Seems kinda dumb at the moment.
Then, the second act... Almost a crime.
There was a drawer where the original art was replaced after it had been produced as (back then, actual metal blocks (I have one for a drawing of mine in the Library of Congress, Nixon Goes to China.) and original drawings, with the actual markings of J.C as to size, page and location info. Old school production still alive in the early 1970's - pre-digital. SO I looked, and there it was! The drawing, I AM THE CHEESE. Note that the drawing dimensions were small. And it was signed.
Like a hawk in a mental darkness, I hovered over it, knowing that I could simply take it, put it in an envelope and in my small portfolio that I carried when coming to the Times, and walk out of the building. The drawing would simply disappear. Where did it go? J.C. wouldn't know, nobody would know...
But integrity, and my sense of place, the reality of The New York Times, the history, Edward Gorey, me... I closed the door slowly, with a sigh, thankful that I'd had an adventure, and not a "case". With Edward Gorey at The New York Times.
And as for "the rest of the story" ... the article the illustration was with, that still remains a mystery to be solved by going to The New York Times Archive for a reproduction of the page, or getting a subscription, with the ability to check and read the NYT ARCHIVES... circa 71-72 is where it is, I'm thinking. More for the avid illustrational detective or real fan of Mr. Edward Gorey!
Oh, Den here again, just saying "NIXON AS GLOBE" is the listing in The Library of Congress for me. Searching here gives you images.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.loc.gov/search/?in=&q=dennis+hermanson&new=truehttps://www.loc.gov/search/?in=&q=dennis+hermanson&new=true
Mr. Gorey remains an icon for our American Artists Community, and was a singular hipster in his amazingly beautiful way. For a great overview at the LOC, go to
https://guides.loc.gov/goreycollections