See more @ The New Yorker (April 12, 2021): “What Your Mask Says About You (How to judge a face by its cover. Barry Blitt, a cartoonist and an illustrator, has contributed to The New Yorker since 1992. In 2020, he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning.April 12, 2021
When trapped indoors, the act of looking out the window can become a simple, nearly sublime pleasure. We talked to the cartoonist Tom Gauld about his latest cover for the magazine…
Do you have any favorite sights outside your window?
It’s nice to see more of my neighbors as they walk along the street—usually, many of them would be at work all day. And, when I take walks, I see a lot more people sitting by their front windows, often working on a laptop. The idea for this cover started when I walked past a building and noticed that there was a figure in almost every one of the windows. I tried to imagine an everyday event that might attract the attention of everyone in a building.
Do you have a dog, and, if you don’t, do you envy those who do?
I don’t have a dog, and really I’m more of a cat person, but I do see the appeal of a dog. It’s nice to have a reason to go out for a walk (or two) every day. I usually walk in the park with my younger daughter before she starts her online-school day, and almost everyone else is out there walking a dog. The dogs always seem very happy.
— Françoise Mouly, excerpts from her interview of Tom Gauld on his magazine cover titled “Captive Audience” in The New Yorker, March 15, 2021
Notes:
“Artist Dan May’s interpretation of Charles M. Schulz’s 1965 classic, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” is quiet and powerful, a piece subtly addressing troubled times with Charlie Brown removed and elevated from the noise of the world and blur the holidays can become by masking that which is most important. Dan’s composition instantly struck us in finding Charlie Brown, accompanied by a quietly, emotional Snoopy, not merely reflective but openly longing and prayerful for that which matters most, a loving reminder for us all, particularly during the holidays.” Source: Blurppy.
Take 7.
Yep, 7th attempt to produce something, Anything, Something, Anything, that’s worthy.
I’m walking across Manhattan on 47th street and the weight bears down. Tuesday morning after a long weekend. Shoes feel heavy. Shoulders slouched. A Sherpa hauling a full load.
It’s 9 days and counting. I’ve run out of puppy pictures. I’ve finished Will Schwalbe’s Books for a Living and I’m finished with my quotidian shares of his wisdom.
So, I conduct an autopsy of the prior six attempts on partially completed blog posts:
