What’s In A Line?

Last night I was at a party at the wonderful Society of Illustrators in Manhattan to celebrate the outgoing Director, Anelle Miller. Founded in 1901 it is the oldest institution dedicated to the art of illustration in America. But it is about more than illustration, the Society also showcases painters and cartoonists. The building, which is a four story brownstone, houses a Museum of Illustration and a dedicated hall for cartoon art. I have given talks and curated shows with them over the years, one of The New Yorker’s women cartoonists from 1925–2017, and two about Cartooning For Peace. It has become a place dear to my heart, if just in knowing that some of my favorite artists from the 1920’s were members. It is a wonderful feeling of a continuum of art practice in New York City.

As soon as I walked in the door, I was met by a piece by one of my favorite artists from The New Yorker, Barbara Shermund. I forgot to grab the date, but knowing her work, my guess is it was probably drawn in the 1920’s.

As the evening went on, I chatted with various artists and editors, as I looked around at all the amazing art hanging on the walls, I was struck yet again at the variety of styles of art. It’s really endless, the ways in which the gesture of the artist can communicate. Even just black and white and grey, let’s not even get into what color can do. Barbara Shermund herself was someone who…