Peter Arno: Where There's a Will..., Part 3

In 1942, Peter Arno confronted an interesting problem. He had either come up with or been assigned a gag cartoon for the New Yorker that involved the reading of a will to disappointed relatives. He had already handled this scenario in 1939. At least some of his readers and editors would be familiar with the previous cartoon. How was he to handle this?

Peter Arno, The New Yorker, December 2, 1939, page 23

Peter Arno, The New Yorker,  May 16, 1942, page 14

Arno chose to make the new cartoon distinctly different. Aside from removing the dog which is the object of the 1939 gag, there are quite a few ways he made the 1942 drawing into something quite new and unique:

1. He expanded the panel size from about two-thirds of a page to a full page.

2. He reversed the general layout, putting the family on the left and the lawyer on the right.

3. He changed the setting from a sunlit drawing room to a dark study with each of the faces starkly illuminated.

4. He minimized the mourning garb.

5. He changed the reaction of the family from anger and loathing to shock and surprise.

6. He changed the perspective from two-point to one-point, and therefore drew more of the faces in profile.

7. He changed the decor from art deco to neoclassical.

8. He gave the attorney a briefcase, a pair of spectacles, and a nice head of hair.

In summary, Arno had many tools at his disposal, and in this case he used a variety of them to make two similar gag cartoon concepts look and feel completely different.

Note:  What makes a cartoon work? I've discussed composition here only a few times, but Peter Arno really brings it out in me. Click on the aqua link to see the relevant posts.

Does the will really say that? You bet it does.

Am I running out of Arno posts? Probably. When will they end? I'm not sure. I've been saying a week or two more for about six weeks now. Is there anything you can do to help? Why, yes. This blog is in desperate need of more Arno:  correspondence, photos, original art. Check your attic. People who frequent classy places like Harry's Bar or 21 might want to sneak a few high-res photos of the art. But please don't get yourself thrown out or anything. I'm not worth it.

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Peter Arno: Where There's a Will..., Part 2

The reading of the will was featured in an exceptional Peter Arno New Yorker cartoon from 1939. The original artwork was sold in 2013 by a small auction house. Appearances suggest the listing did not trouble to reproduce the long caption aside from the difficult-to-read handwriting in the photographs. The artwork sold for about one-third its estimate.

"First then:  the bulk of my estate, excepting certain specific
bequests as hereinafter noted, I leave to my true friend and
companion, one of God's noblest creatures..."
Peter Arno, Original art, The New Yorker, December 2, 1939, page 23

Note how the dark colors of mourning are contrasted with the white of the dog. The clever use of two-point perspective allows two sets of lines to lead our eyes to the dog, one from the attorney's chair and feet aligned with the aisle and the other joining the mourner's feet in the front row. If that's not enough, the mourners' eyes are all directed at the same spot.

The art is nicely framed, but a more legible caption would be welcome:

"First then:  the bulk of my estate, excepting certain specific bequests as hereinafter
noted, I leave to my true friend and companion, one of God's noblest creatures..."
Peter Arno, Framed original art, The New Yorker, December 2, 1939, page 23

Detail

Detail

Locati Auctions, October 21, 2013, Lot 1013162

http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/peter-arno-1904-1968-,-mixed-media-on-paper-1013162-c-7384c3c2e2

"First then:  the bulk of my estate, excepting certain specific bequests as hereinafter
noted, I leave to my true friend and companion, one of God's noblest creatures..."
Peter Arno, The New Yorker, December 2, 1939, page 23

Note:  On Sunday, this blog's brief excursion into the reading of the will began with cartoon variations by the late Frank Modell, 1917-2016. In his obituary, the Times writes, "Mr. Modell took pleasure in mocking mortality in his work."

This blog offers a lot more about Peter Arno and about original New Yorker cartoon art. Ask for it by name.

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Peter Arno: Where There's a Will...

The reading of the will to stunned relatives is a time-honored cartoon trope. Peter Arno does not disappoint with the drawing published in the New Yorker on May 16, 1942. Being able to see his original artwork offers insights into the process of creating the cartoon, but there is a serious problem in the image provided by Bill Hood & Sons, which sold the work in 2008. They have gotten the aspect ratio wrong. The photograph, which should be rectangular in portrait orientation like the full page of a magazine, is instead distorted into a square.

At least we can read the original caption written across the top. "Well, what do you know? You're [sic] dear grandfather seems to have left everything to me!" Grandfather is not a great choice here, given the different ages of the family members. The published caption is a bit tighter and uses a rich uncle instead:  "My goodness! Your dear old uncle seems to have left everything to me."

Arno was a master at composing and lighting his scenes. This scene is read from left to right. The lines of site, the family members' arms, and the curtain tie-backs all direct our gaze to the lawyer on the right. The lamps and especially the curtains frame his head. This scene is set in a dark study with two unlit lamps. The light source is from the right behind the attorney and it starkly illuminates all the family members. Paradoxically, the attorney's face is illuminated from the left.

"Well, what do you know? Your dear grandfather
seems to have left everything to me."
Published as "My goodness! Your dear old uncle seems to have left everything to me."
Peter Arno
Original art
The New Yorker, May 16, 1942, page 14

Peter Arno's signature

Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antique Auctions, March 26, 2008, Lot 2211

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/5038726_peter-arno-1904-1968-nyny-pen-and-ink-well

"My goodness! Your dear old uncle seems to have left everything to me."
Peter Arno
The New Yorker, May 16, 1942, page 14

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1942-05-16#folio=014

May 14, 2018 Update:  The original art is being offered on eBay for a Buy It Now price of $5,950, more than double the 2008 auction price of $2,300 even assuming a hefty 25% buyer's premium. We can now see the original art undistorted.

"Well, what do you know? Your dear grandfather seems to have left everything to me."
Published as "My goodness! Your dear old uncle seems to have left everything to me."
Peter Arno
Original art
The New Yorker, May 16, 1942, page 14

Preliminary caption in Peter Arno's hand

Peter Arno's signature

"Well, what do you know? Your dear grandfather seems to have left everything to me."
Published as "My goodness! Your dear old uncle seems to have left everything to me."
Peter Arno
Original art
The New Yorker, May 16, 1942, page 14

Tucson Museum of Art exhibition label

Peter Arno
eBay Listing Retrieved May 14, 2018

https://www.ebay.com/itm/PETER-ARNO-ORIGINAL-NEW-YORKER-DRAWING/202312302896?hash=item2f1ac0c130:g:sF0AAOSwbEZa-GK9

Peter Arno
eBay Item Description Retrieved May 14, 2018

Note:  Yesterday, the reading of the will took place in a series of cartoon variations by the late Frank Modell, 1917-2016.

My earlier blog posts about Peter Arno are just a click away. I have, at most, one or two weeks left of blog posts on this great artist, but I would be delighted to incorporate more Arno material from readers. Correspondence, photos, and of course original artwork are fair game.

Works of original New Yorker cartoon art may be found here as well. It's a specialty of the house.

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Frank Modell (1917-2016)

New Yorker cartoonist Frank Modell died Friday at age 98. In a tribute published on Ink Spill yesterday, cartoonist Michael Maslin called him "a cartoonist's cartoonist." He was also a collector's cartoonist, happy to provide the art market with work that was sometimes more delightful than even his published cartoons.

For example, an original cartoon of his was shown at the Westport Historical Society on April 25, 2014. It looks for all the world like a New Yorker cartoon, but it is actually a close variant of one. The topic, as it happens, is the reading of a will.

"The will reads as follows: 'Being of sound mind and disposition, I blew it all.'"
Frank Modell, Variant cartoon art, The New Yorker, February 5, 1972, page 31

Now a similar drawing of his was sold back in 2013 from the Mark Birley collection at Sotheby's London. It went for the astonishing sum of 4000 GBP, although it too is not the published New Yorker drawing, but another variant.

"His will reads as follows.  'Being of sound mind and disposition, I blew it all.'"
Frank Modell, Variant cartoon art, The New Yorker, February 5, 1972, page 31

Sotheby's London, March 21, 2013, Lot 491

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2013/mark-birley-collection/lot.491.html

After seeing and admiring these two versions of the drawing, the actual published cartoon looks more like a rough sketch. It's hard to imagine either of the other versions being preliminary to this. They most likely are redraws of the published cartoon created to meet the demand of eager collectors.

"His will reads as follows.  'Being of sound mind and disposition, I blew it all.'"
Frank Modell, The New Yorker, February 5, 1972, page 31

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1972-02-05#folio=030

Frank Modell leaves a legacy which includes much joy. His website features a print of his clown signature...

Modell's Dancing Clown print

http://frankmodell.com/index.html

...and on eBay there is an example of his dog signature:

Frank Modell's dog signature

eBay Listing

Note:  Ink Spill's tribute to Frank Modell mentioned above and older posts can be found here.

Attempted Bloggery's previous posts about Frank Modell are here.

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