"It's good to be the king."
—Mel BrooksHistory of the World, Part 1 (1981)
And queen, I might add. New Yorker cartoonist James Stevenson (1929-2017) demonstrates that there might be a better word to describe royals than flush:
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| "Don't you love being upscale?" James Stevenson Original art The New Yorker, July 28, 1986, p. 35 |
Stevenson's caption, like Brooks's above quotation, relies on understatement for its comic effect. It looks to have been written with a felt tip pen. Unlike the rest of the cartoon, it is quite faded although still legible. The original art was sold at auction two weeks ago, in Norwalk.
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| The faded caption |
The king and queen stand out. The perspective of the composition makes them the two largest figures. The contrasting shading distinguishes them from all the others, and from each other. The perspective also creates a potential problem: we could be looking at the royals from behind. Stevenson solves this by having the king, who is speaking, turn toward the queen—and also toward our vantage point. Thus we get to see his face in three-quarter view.
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| Detail of the royal couple |
The attendants are drawn loosely and indistinctly. There is even a sameness to their shading.
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| Detail of the attendants |
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| Detail of the minstrels' gallery |
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| Detail of the rafters |
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| James Stevenson's signature |
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| Copyright notice |
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| Verso |
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James Stevenson Westport Auction listing accessed October 26, 2022 |
Sold!
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| "Don't you love being upscale?" James Stevenson Original art The New Yorker, July 28, 1986, p. 35 |
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| Cartoons by Bob Mankoff and James Stevenson |
Note: This blog thrives on original art. I'd like to receive images of original work by James Stevenson for future posts.
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