Comic Art &Illustration 02 Nov 2006 08:27 am
Stevenson
- I’m a fan of the New Yorker magazine and many of its cartoonists.
Over the years, there have been three who have resonated most sharply with me: Steinberg, Steig and Stevenson. I’ve always felt that these three guys have gone beyond cartoonist to fine artist.
I’ve done films adapted from the work of William Steig and James Stevenson and love both equally.
Stevenson is less abstract than either Steinberg or Steig. He’s as much a journalist as an illustrator and has written excellent pieces for both the New Yorker and the New York Times, as well.
I love his many children’s books, but the two books which were compiled from his odd cartoon/essays are among the treasures I own and cherish most. Something Marvelous Is About To Happen and Uptown Local Downtown Express can only be called gems.
(Click on any image to enlarge.)
The page above illustrates “The Case Against Prof. Lamberti,” an attempt to disprove the existence of Prof. Lamberti.
Below is a sample essay, I found in Uptown Local, which shows an animator’s sense of observation in depicting body language. This one seems appropriate today since it’s raining in NYC as I write this.
1 
2
3 
4
5
- For those of you who haven’t found it yet, may I suggest you go to the Op Ed section of the NYTimes where Maira Kalman has her column, The Principles of Uncertainty. It’s an extended, illustrated observation that is well worth visiting.
- Also in today’s NYTimes is a Op Art piece by Jules Feiffer. Another excellent piece from this great artist.
