Clip & save art notes - discussion of Arnold Newman's Portrait of Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss

Arts & Activities, April, 2003

Arnold Newman (b. 1918). Portrait of Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss), November 15, 1985, in La Jolla, California.

ABOUT THIS PHOTOGRAPH

Readers who know the books written and drawn by Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) might like to think how they would have solved the problem of making a portrait photograph of him. On only a few occasions did Arnold Newman tear a photograph apart and reassemble it to create a finished portrait. Most of his distinguished sitters were shown among the things most associated with their success. Newman was a master of this kind of portraiture, and it has since been used by many other photographers.

One obvious solution to the portrait might have been to have Dr. Seuss sitting among the more famous of the characters he invented for his books, such as the Grinch (who stole Christmas), Horton the Elephant, or Yertle the Turtle. But in this portrait, Newman didn't do anything like that. In fact, there is no background at all in this portrait except for the back of his chair. Moreover, Newman did what at first might seem unforgivable: he selected two of his shots and tore them up. He then reassembled the pieces into a new composition for the final portrait.

Students might ask themselves whether they would have the courage to do anything like that if they were photographing a celebrity. Probably not. Why then did Newman see this as a successful portrait, one that did justice to the sitter? We may never know exactly why he did what he did, but a likely explanation is that like a few others that Newman treated in much the same way, Theodor Geisel was quite unique.

What was important about Geisel was his gentle, offbeat character rather than his surroundings. Clearly in Newman's mind it would have lessened the power of this portrait to have shown Geisel in his study surrounded by the famous products of his imagination. And yet, a single, head-on portrait with rather ordinary lighting was also unlikely to get to the heart of this man's genius. The combination of the two images made the message come through clearly.

Everything about Geisel lay in his unique vision of a fantasy world that his readers instinctively understood. He saw the world differently from other people, and playfully drew them into it. So, might not a portrait of him attempt to reveal the heart of who he was by being at once ordinary and familiar, and also possess the kinds of ideas that are reflected in his books--visions that most people cannot even dream about?

The result is a portrait of a smiling, grandfatherly man seen by the camera as utterly extraordinary. We know that Geisel was extraordinary from reading his Dr. Seuss books, but since a photographer cannot change what the camera sees during the split-second of an exposure, Newman combined two pictures into one to show that he really was larger than life. Newman, the artist, does a balancing act between being a photographer who must abide by what the camera sees and being a painter who has full control over an image. It seems highly likely that Newman took this risk because the challenge of this portrait was so great.

The focus of attention in most of the faces included in the Clip & Save Art Print series this year has been on an artist and an artwork, usually with additional information about the artist and features in the artwork that make it distinctive. On this occasion, it seems fitting to tell viewers more about Theodor Geisel. The most complete experience, however, would have to include looking at and reading some of his books.

From his childhood in Massachusetts, Geisel was drawing animal cartoons. At college, he was the editor of a humor magazine and, after graduating, this talent led him to a career of drawing comic advertisements. He also did work for documentary motion pictures for which he received an Oscar[R].

Commercial success kept him occupied until he was in his early 30s, when he first began to write and illustrate the kind of books for which he is so well known. His first book was rejected by over 25 publishers, but he finally found an editor who recognized the quality of his ideas. Not until he was 52, however, did he become a full-time author and, after that, he never stopped working on his books.

At first glance, the Dr. Seuss books appear very simple, but ideas came slowly to him and most of the books took about a year to complete. His drawings also took a long time to do to his satisfaction. He said that "... my animals look the way they do because I can't draw." In spite of that, he thought of himself first as an artist and secondly as a writer. His books are meant to be read aloud. One writer believes that they are best described as wonderlands populated by weird menageries of wacky creatures intended to make children (and adults) laugh. His success can be measured in part by the fact that over 50 million copies of his books have been sold.

Although his books are for children, it was also said that he really wrote them to amuse himself. And while he carefully hid the messages of his books, his themes emphasize honesty, loyalty and faithfulness. Some of his best-loved titles are "The Cat in the Hat," "Horton Hears a Who!" "Green Eggs and Ham" and, perhaps most famous of all, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"