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Friday, January 11, 2013

The Quirky And Colorful Magic Of Dr Seuss Artwork

By Dorothea Garner


Generations of children all over the world know and love his books. Whether it's 'The Cat in the Hat' or 'The Lorax' or any of the author and illustrator's other books, kids of all ages want to hear the quirky stories over and over again. They also want to pore over the magical Dr Seuss artwork, seeing it anew every time.

Dr Seuss was actually Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Ted Geisel, born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. While attending Dartmouth College, he joined the editorial team of the college's humor magazine and started using the pen name that became famous. He only became a real doctor when he got his doctorate in Philosophy at Lincoln College in Oxford.

After obtaining his qualifications, Geisel became a professional cartoonist and illustrator for the advertising industry. It was for this work that he became a well-known name in the United States. Some of his early pieces also served as inspiration for characters that would later appear in his popular children's books. For example, an illustration he did for a car advertisement featured cats jumping out of hats, alluding to 'The Cat in the Hat' that would follow.

The first children's book from Geisel's pen was published by Vanguard Press in 1937. It was called 'And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street' and Vanguard snapped it up after countless other publishers didn't want to publish it. Those publishers must have wanted to kick themselves because the Dr Seuss books have since sold by the millions and are still going strong. In fact, a couple of the books, like 'The Cat in the Hat' are among the best-selling books in the history of the genre.

Geisel's preferred media were watercolors or, later on, pen and ink. His illustrations are easily recognized by their droopy-figured characters. Straight lines hardly ever appear anywhere and even the elaborate buildings and strange machines he created look a little droopy. Children loved his style right from the start and the stories, usually written in as quirky rhymes, helped to make bedtime a treat.

The stories for which Dr Seuss was so well known and loved have inspired many adaptations. Among these are several movies and televisions series. There was even an award-winning short film from the Soviet Union. There are toys based on his characters and Florida even has a theme park replicating his style, to the point of avoiding any straight lines.

Geisel was not only an illustrator. He also created sculptures, like his so-called unorthodox taxidermy. These pieces were strange creatures made of various materials, including real horns, beaks or feathers. They were then mounted on the wall, like hunting trophies. Today there are replicas for sale if you can't find or afford an original.

Ted Geisel died in 1991. The man who kept millions of children entertained never had any children himself. He won several awards in his career and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. If you want a little piece of his legacy, you can buy Dr Seuss artwork through several authorized galleries. Owning one of these pieces will definitely bring some color to your life.




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