February 14, 2009

The Covers of Frankenstein : The New Yorker by Edward Sorel

An optimistic Monster waits for his date to be blasted to life in Edward Sorel’s superb St-Valentine’s cover for The New Yorker, February 1997.

Doing a cover for The New Yorker is a point of pride and prestige for artists. Edward Sorel has over 40 to his credit. His distinctive, loose line drawings are conceived and explored through several roughs, with the final piece inked directly onto the paper, without benefit of an underlying pencil sketch, a trick akin to a trapeze artist working without a safety net. When satisfied with the line work, Sorel finishes it in watercolors or wash. The result is a polished work of art that still retains the intuitive, nervous energy of a first draft.

Sorel is a multiple award-winning artist, elected to the Art Directors Club of New York Hall of Fame in 2002. He was a founding member, with Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast, of the legendary Push Pin Studio. His works have graced all the major American magazines, and have been exhibited the world over.


Edward Sorel’s website.

The Art Directors Club of New York Sorel page, with a fine biography of Sorel written by R.O.Blechman.

The New Yorker website.


6 comments:

Phantom of Pulp said...

What a stunning drawing.

I love the head on the right far edge. It looks like it's part of the machinery (severed perhaps?), or it may be Igor looking on (there seems to a hand).

Thanks for posting this.

Pierre Fournier said...

Yes, that's the hunchbacked assistant (called Fritz in the 1931 movie) at far right. The scientist and the assistant pose is taken from a still of Colin Clive and Dwight Frye pushing levers and looking up. The big wheel at left is also in the movie, it's a chain drive that operates the overhead trap. Mr. Sorel did his homework.

Max the drunken severed head said...

Is that a giant breast on top of a machine in the lower left?

Pierre Fournier said...

I noticed that too, Max. Either we're both perverts, or we're onto something. It looks like the reflection of the candy box, and I think Mr. Sorel is pulling a fast one.

Christopher said...

It is pretty well detailed to the first 2 Frankenstein films..only this Bride appears to be well endowed with something Elsa Lanchester didn't have! :o)..Woman!..Friend..Wiiife!..
love the big ol' flat feet!

Anonymous said...

Although the monster looked hideous, he still had feelings and desired a companion. I think Sorel was completely able to represent what the monster was going through in his image, in this humorous way.

Love the candy and flowers by the way.