Attempted Bloggery: Robert Andrew Parker: Working from Home in the Big City?

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Robert Andrew Parker: Working from Home in the Big City?

I don't pretend to know what's going on in Robert Andrew Parker's illustration of an unlikely trio for The New Yorker, circa the 1990s. Neither does the eBay seller of the original art; the artist didn't indicate the title or subject matter or date of publication. Someone wrote the word generic on the New Yorker sticker, and there's really nothing generic about the illustration. Indeed, it's a very specific evocation of the holiday season in New York but, presented out of context, its hard to make much sense of it.

Robert Andrew Parker
Original illustration art
The New Yorker, c. 1990s

I'm old enough to remember when The New Yorker never ran color illustrations inside the magazine. This particular image may have enlivened the "Goings On About Town" section, depicting a movie or play I probably never saw. Or it could have added some color to an article about—maybe something generic, like working from home.