My Entries in the Moment Cartoon Caption Contest for March/April 2014

This cartoon grew on me. Bob Mankoff's cartoon for the March/April Moment Cartoon Caption Contest didn't immediately suggest a caption; indeed it seemed rather generic. Then every conflicted idea I ever had about choosing a career and the tradeoffs one has to make came pouring out in fifteen heartfelt captions. Fifteen! For once, none seemed to stand out, although I think I saved the best one for last. Possibly none are all that funny, because instead they all seem to have some truth in them, at least for me. Note too that I could not settle on a name for the college graduate.

"Do you have any sage advice for an eager, wide-eyed philosophy major?"
"Our graduate would be grateful for any tips--other than, of course, 'Plastics.'"
"Gail plans to just keep partying and see how that goes."
"Now Edie figures she'll sit back and let the dollars roll in."
"Amy is hoping to find a job just like yours, only more stimulating."
"Sarah feels it's time to cash in on her diploma."
"Our Connie is thinking of a career in poetry."
"Sid, do you know which hedge funds are hiring?"
"Emily's willing to do a job like yours for next to nothing."
"Beth is eager to break through the glass ceiling."
"Guess what?  Deirdre is going to write about soy."
"Sandy is looking for something lucrative in blogging."
"Allison isn't much interested in work per se."
"Jackie is seeking a career path to early retirement."
"Leah has decided to join the 1%."

I've had a good run with the Moment caption contest, being selected as a finalist four times running. That streak has ended here despite--or because of--my unconscionable fifteen entries. The disheartening news is tempered by the fact that I somehow have the winning caption in the January/February contest, my sole caption victory in over a year of trying to learn how to play this game. I'm just going to be impossible to live with now.

Moment Cartoon Caption Contest March/April 2014 Finalists

July 30, 2014 Update:  Winning Caption

Moment Cartoon Caption Contest March/April 2014 Winning Caption

Note:  Would you like to see how previous Moment Cartoon Caption Contests turned out? Of course you would.

There's a bit of overlap, but you can read even more posts about Bob Mankoff.

Bob Mankoff is also mentioned in my essential blog post on The Best of the Rejection Collection Event.

Bob Mankoff's New Yorker blog is here. I think it's pretty good as New Yorker blogs go, but what would I know about that?

Keep up with the latest cartoon news about Bob Mankoff on Ink Spill here. There's been a lot of it lately.

Why not check out the current Moment Cartoon Caption Contest here. You might even enter the current contest yourself and vote for one of the finalists in the March/April contest.

If you really want to see failure on a grand scale, all my unsuccessful entries in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest have been archived for posterity here. It is more than a year that I've been doing this, so leave yourself a little time.

Danny Shanahan's website is here. The October Caption Contest may still be going on. I reported the results of his first contest from April here.

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Backstage at Lohengrin: Constantin Alajálov New Yorker Cover Art

Constantin Alajálov's original New Yorker cover art shows us the opera from a vantage point few of us ever get to experience. Being able to see the the set from behind and the prompter's box and conductor from up front offers us an insider's exclusive view. Meanwhile, the high Wagnerian drama taking place on the stage is contrasted with the ordinary manual labor of the stagehands. The opera is Lohengrin, of course, whose title character is also known as the Swan Knight. You knew that.

Constantin Alajálov, Original art, The New Yorker, January 30, 1937

http://www.artnet.com/artists/constantin-alajalov/backstage-at-the-opera-lohengrin-Mt5YXlxHNoUYGtJScN_d5w2

Illustration House auction

http://www.artnet.com/artists/constantin-alajalov/backstage-at-the-opera-lohengrin-Mt5YXlxHNoUYGtJScN_d5w2

Constantin Alajálov, The New Yorker, January 30, 1937

Note:  I now have quite a few blog posts about the art of Constantin Alajálov. It's your lucky day.

See more examples of original New Yorker cover art.

You might also like to see a few more posts about composer Richard Wagner.

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Airborne Action: Constantin Alajálov New Yorker Cover Art

When America entered World War II, Hollywood patriotically joined the war effort. A studio paratrooper's dramatic parting moments are depicted convincingly and amusingly in original illustration artwork by the very capable Constantin Alajálov. Six years ago, this original wartime art was sold at auction by Du Mouchelles of Detroit. Nowhere in the sales listing is it mentioned that the illustration served as the cover of The New Yorker for January 8, 1944. Still, the art sold for $3,750, a decent enough price, suggesting that bidders either had done their homework or else liked it enough to go after the piece on its own strong merits. Geronimo!

Constantin Alajálov, Original art, The New Yorker, January 8, 1944

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/5096668

Constantin Alajálov, The New Yorker, January 8, 1944

Note:  You might want to brush up on my blog posts about the art of Constantin Alajálov. You never know when it could come in handy.

Read more about original New Yorker cover art.

You might also like to see a few more posts about World War II.

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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #427

Here is my entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #427 for May 12, 2014. The drawing is by Benjamin Schwartz. I wrote the caption. My wife looked at this caption and for the first time said it looked professional, a rather nice compliment even though it implied that my previous fifty caption entries were amateurish. Anyway, I like to look at it as just some everyday good advice for the Zombie Apocalypse.

"Let's try less Linda Hamilton, more Martha Stewart."

May 20, 2014 Update:  The Finalists

June 2, 2014 Update:  Winning Caption

Note:  Read my only previous blog post to mention the Zombie Apocalypse.

See my previous posts about Benjamin Schwartz, including one contest where I just plain forgot to submit my caption. Whoops.

Last week I also tried a bit of celebrity name-dropping in my Caption Contest entry. It didn't work then either. Check out Contest #426.

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Constantin Alajálov: Ice Skating in Central Park

Ice-Skating in Central Park, New York is a joyful oil on canvas by Constantin Alajálov dating from 1945. Central Park is at its wintry best as skaters take to the ice in the Pond. In the background is the Central Park Zoo complex and the line of buildings along Fifth Avenue. This scene is an utter delight, but it is showing us the end of an era. In 1949, Wollman Rink would open just to the left of this image and ice skating in southern Central Park would forever be relocated a few yards over.

Constantin Alajálov, Ice-Skating in Central Park, New York, 1945

http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/paintings/constantin-alajalov-ice-skating-in-central-park-4360368-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=4360368&sid=18bca497-3fda-4c24-a91b-9bfa8132e5b3

Note:  Good news! You can read more on  the art of Constantin Alajálov.

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Constantin Alajálov: Still Life with Roses

Constantin Alajálov's still life with roses reveals yet another aspect of this artist's work. It is executed in oil on board and framed rather ornately. Like his 1948 painting of Morgnaga, this 1965 work was apparently exhibited, perhaps at the Parrish Art Museum. Unlike his Portrait of a Young Girl, there is little exploration of the expressive properties of oil paint. Instead, we have what looks like an illustration in oil, but it is less visually compelling than much of his illustrative work intended for publication.

Constantin Alajálov, Still life with roses, oil on board, 1965

Constantin Alajálov, Still life with roses, detail, 1965

Constantin Alajálov, Still life with roses, detail, 1965

Constantin Alajálov's oil signature

The back of the frame indicates that this piece was exhibited on Long Island.

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/18331212_constantin-alajalov-1900-1987-russianamerican

Constantin Alajálov, Still life with roses, oil on board, 1965

Note:  Read more on  the art of Constantin Alajálov.

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Constantin Alajálov: Out for a Ride

Silk must be a tricky material on which to paint. This work on silk circa 1930 is by Constantin Alajálov. It depicts a couple on horseback with a figure resting in the background. It seems more stylized and less detailed than many of the artist's more typical illustrations. I suspect there might be some fading as well.

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/19919328_constantin-alajalov-russianamerican-1900-1987

Note:  I've got a lot more to say about the art of Constantin Alajálov.

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Constantin Alajálov: Cocktail Waitress

Constantin Alajálov's Cocktail Waitress seems quite prepared to liven things up, and things are pretty lively to begin with. Skinner, the auction house which sold this colorful piece in 2006, conjectures that "This may have been published in the New Yorker," perhaps thinking of the theatre section. It's very unlikely that any such color Alajálov illustration would have been created for the interior of the New Yorker, which was generally devoid of color editorial content in this artist's time. Rather, it looks more like a revue program or menu cover.

Constantin Alajálov, Cocktail Waitress

Constantin Alajálov, Cocktail Waitress framed

Constantin Alajálov, Cocktail Waitress detail

Constantin Alajálov's signature 

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/2391719

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/2391719

That's $1,410 with the buyer's premium.

Note:  Don't miss earlier blog posts about the art of Constantin Alajálov.

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Constantin Alajálov: Morgnaga

Morgnaga is near Gardone Riviera in Italy, to the north of Brescia on Lake Garda. The town church bears a distinctive bell tower. It was rendered by Hans Thoma in 1897.

Hans Thoma, Morgnaga near Gardone, mixed media on paper, 1897

http://www.myartprints.co.uk/a/thoma-hans/hthomamorgnaganeargardone.html

http://www.akg-images.co.uk/archive/H.Thoma-/-Morgnaga-near-Gardone-2UMDHUQR9CA1.html

A 2008 photograph shows the church's appearance relatively unchanged aside from some temporary scaffolding.

1 Dicembre 2008 alle 00:02

Chiesa di Morgnaga

 http://rete.comuni-italiani.it/foto/2008/48765

Constantin Alajálov painted the church at Morgnaga in 1948. The building appears undamaged from the Second World War. A prominent wall extending from the foundation of the church is not evident in the later photograph, although it could be obscured by overgrowth.

The original artwork is apparently in color. This work may not have been published, but it was exhibited at the Parrish Museum of Southampton. The gouache sold at auction in 1999 for $700.

Constantin Alajálov, Morgnaga, gouache, 1948

http://www.artnet.com/artists/constantin-alajalov/morgnaga-8HmAxMQDHD60hDbQJbs8mA2

http://artsalesindex.artinfo.com/asi/lots/2763420

http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/constantin-alajalov-am.-1900-1987-morgnaga-sign-24-c-16270ba395

http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/constantin-alajalov-am.-1900-1987-morgnaga-sign-24-c-16270ba395

Note:  Read further blog posts about the art of Constantin Alajálov.

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Constantin Alajálov: Then Comes Marriage

Happy Mother's Day!

Constantin Alajálov's 1942 New Yorker cover illustration depicts a newlywed bride's sudden awareness of the new direction her life may soon take. The groom is predictably oblivious to this dramatic moment. This was published as a June wedding cover, but it seems to anticipate many Mother's Days to come.

Constantin Alajálov, The New Yorker, June 20, 1942

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2014/05/mothers-day-covers.html#slide_ss_0=2

The artwork also served as the cover for Conversation Pieces, with text by Janet Flanner.

Constantin Alajálov, Conversation Pieces.  Text by Janet Flanner.  New York:  Studio Publications Inc., 1942.

http://michaelmaslin.com/inkspill/library/

Note:  Read more of my blog posts about the art of Constantin Alajálov.

Of course, there's also more to read about Mother's Day.

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