If you're MAD about Mad Magazine and the amazing artists who created it, then you'll be as excited as I was to learn about "The Art of Harvey Kurtzman" a new book out from Denis Kitchen and Paul Buhle and published by Abrams Books, which is a loving, thorough and beautifully put together collection of the art and the man who was Harvey Kurtzman, the mad genius behind not only Mad Magazine but a host of other publications that defined much of mid-century American pop culture.
The blog this week is going to feature some of the inspired work found therein, as this protean artist developed his style through various periods and publications.
Here is one very early gag panel from a series titled "Hey Look".
A cartoonist cartooning about drawing cartoons can be a bit navel-gazing, but not in the hands of a febrile brain like Kurtzman (who often signed his name Kurtz + a little stick figure drawing of a man, but in the early days had only developed an HK in a circle).
I love the guy poking through the next panel with his crayon or chalk or brush so the character becomes the creator of the strip. And the colors, and the negative reverse panels. And of course, the dude's haircut!
william
Tomorrow: More delights from Kurtzman!
Very interesting! Thank you for sharing. My great uncle was an artist for Mad, so I always love hearing about the history of the magazine and the artists behind it.
Posted by: Lori | July 09, 2009 at 06:01 AM