Francis Barraud's painting of his late brother Mark's terrier Nipper listening to a phonograph recording of "His Master's Voice" is rather touching. The image, which was to become a well-known commercial trademark, effectively illustrates how our technology at its best can forge an emotional connection.
Ronald Searle must have had this famous image in the back of his mind, or in the front of it, when he created one of his most memorable lithographs, Bye Bye Blues. It dates from 1974, the year he turned fifty-four. Bye Bye Blues features one of Searle's signature cats sitting enraptured, leaning in towards a gramophone, but it is not just about the cat or about the gramophone. Rather, it is about nothing less than the capacity of art to transport and transform us.
Searle, as is his wont, exuberantly defies one of the supposed rules of cartooning, that one should always keep it simple. He gives us a fully-realized interior space with not just a few choice records but with stacks of them, scattered record sleeves, a tiny teacup, a brass bed, and—why not?—even a bicycle. Both the ornate bed and the stark floorboards seem to be perpendicular to the wall, yet paradoxically they each recede to separate vanishing points.
Note: Today is the centenary of Ronald Searle's birth on March 3, 1920.
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| Francis Barraud "His Master's Voice" Victor Gramophone |
Ronald Searle must have had this famous image in the back of his mind, or in the front of it, when he created one of his most memorable lithographs, Bye Bye Blues. It dates from 1974, the year he turned fifty-four. Bye Bye Blues features one of Searle's signature cats sitting enraptured, leaning in towards a gramophone, but it is not just about the cat or about the gramophone. Rather, it is about nothing less than the capacity of art to transport and transform us.
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Ronald Searle
Bye Bye Blues
Épreuve d'Artiste aside from the edition of 99, 1974
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Searle, as is his wont, exuberantly defies one of the supposed rules of cartooning, that one should always keep it simple. He gives us a fully-realized interior space with not just a few choice records but with stacks of them, scattered record sleeves, a tiny teacup, a brass bed, and—why not?—even a bicycle. Both the ornate bed and the stark floorboards seem to be perpendicular to the wall, yet paradoxically they each recede to separate vanishing points.
The 1930 version of the song "Bye Bye Blues" recorded in London by Ambrose and His Orchestra may have been the one Searle knew best. Is it really any surprise that this recording was on the "His Master's Voice" label?
"Bye Bye Blues" (1925)
Song by Fred Hamm, Dave Bennett, Bert Lown, and Chauncey Gray
Ambrose and His Orchestra at the May Fair Hotel, London
Recorded in Small Queen's Hall, London on October 13, 1930
Sam Browne—vocals
Note: Today is the centenary of Ronald Searle's birth on March 3, 1920.
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