The American Spectator

Reader Mail

The Art of Observation

9.23.02 @ 12:01AM

MORE MONKEYING AROUND
Re: Francis X. Rocca's Curious George Forever:

Francis X. Rocca writes, regarding the line of Curious George spinoffs in a bookstore: "Not having enough time to evaluate the later efforts, I stuck with the 1941 original." A few years ago a collection of all seven of the Curious George books by H. A. Rey was published in a single hardcover volume called The Complete Adventures of Curious George, including the seven original titles (Curious George, Curious George Takes a Job, Curious George Rides a Bike, Curious George Gets a Medal, Curious George Flies a Kite, Curious George Learns the Alphabet, and Curious George Goes to the Hospital) and a biographical sketch of H. A. and Margaret Rey. The alphabet book doesn't read well as a story (Dr. Suess does better with the subject), but the rest follow the same pattern as the first book, and are just as much fun: George, left on his own, gets himself deeper and deeper into trouble, but comes out all right in the end.
-- Mike Bates

I was gratified to read Francis X. Rocca's appreciation of the Curious George stories. Mr. Rocca confined himself largely to praising the charm of the stories. As you may remember, I tried some time back to write an appreciation of H.A. Rey's art -- I consider his skills to be astounding. I foundered, unfortunately; I'm not an art critic, and I just didn't have the knowledge or the vocabulary to praise him adequately. But, given Mr. Rocca's column as an opening, I will try briefly here.

1. Furniture and interior decoration: The Reys lived in Paris, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles while writing the Curious George books. The illustrations are spot-on snapshots of the furniture and interior decoration of the era, always in fine and enduring taste. See the Man With the Yellow Hat's study -- the simple lines of his desk, the elegant wooden chairs, the wide pine floor.

2. Cityscapes and panoramas. See Curious George's ride down what I think of as Lexington Avenue in the 1950s, on top of a bus. Fascinating detail, down to every store front. See also the suburban street George rides on his bicycle as he abortively delivers newspapers. And there's a fabulous aerial view of Montmartre in the first book.

3. Size, perspective, and aerials. For a cartoonist to be able to imply vast distances is a considerable feat, and H.A. Rey does it over and over again. Check out George's wild flight into the sky on the tail of a kite, or look at the panel where he hides in the straw under the elephant -- with the elephant looking every bit as big AS an elephant must look to a monkey.

4. Self-portraits. Unfortunately, the modern combined edition of the original six or so Curious George books cuts off the original format horizontally. Every book contains at least one double-truck illustration that includes a self-portrait of Augusto, always smoking a pipe, and usually with a drawing pad in his lap. Augusto also peeks out of apartment doorways, looks out the doors of houses, and generally pops up throughout the strips.

5. Satire and observed detail. Check the movie producer's clothing, for example, in the panel where George signs a movie deal: the shadow-stripe suit, the heavy-rimmed tinted glasses, the tiny Italian loafers, the translucent ribbed socks.

6. Coherence of massed scenes. This is the most astounding stuff. In every story, George precipitates some disaster, generally involving lots of people in a big setting -- a farm, a hospital, a zoo, a city street. And every participant in these scenes is rendered in a few deft strokes, with the composition of the whole realized in stunning success.

H.A. Rey's skill as an illustrator is nowhere clearer than when you read some of the more modern knockoffs, written by Augusto's widow Margret, but illustrated by some inadequate publisher's hacks. It's enough to make you cry.
-- Lawrence Henry
North Andover, MA

USEFUL TOOLS
Re: Dave Shiflett's SUV Heaven:

Great article on the anti-SUV movement which is lining up right behind the attack on smokers. I have been driving for 51 years and have had just two fender-benders -- both of them when I was younger than 25. I'm a fair sized guy -- 6'2" and 220 pounds. Except for a full-sized SUV or a Ford Crown Vic, aka Mercury Grand Marquis, there is not one currently manufactured vehicle I can get in or out of without contortions which are painful on this old stiff body. Further, there is the fear factor in facing the swarms of inexperienced, inattentive, distracted, cell phone using, makeup applying, sandwich chomping and beverage slurping drivers whose idea of good driving is to give full attention to the road a space somewhere between picking one's nose and admiring the image of self in the mirror....

My personal vehicle of choice is a full sized 3/4 ton two wheel drive pickup truck. Its extra height allows me to scan the road ahead over the tops of the road lice and its extra weight and strength gives me an added degree of safety if I happen to turn a road louse into a speed bump. I know that I do not get the unlimited mileage from a tank of gas that a tiny car does, but I consider the extra expense as an insurance premium that I am willing to pay even on my retirement income.

In December my wife purchased a 2002 "full sized" Pontiac Grand Prix. Shoot, my first car, a 1941 Chevrolet 2-door sedan, had far more room and was very easy to get in and out of. I have driven her car only once and shall never do so again. It is with reluctance that I even ride as a passenger.

To the anti-SUV scolds: Keep your grubby mitts off my pickup and when the image of my grill fills your rear view mirror, get out of the way.
-- Al Martin
Portland, OR

Letter to the Editor

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