The New Yorker Magazine Covers

 

The New Yorker is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues covering two-week spans. Although its reviews and events listings often focus on the cultural life of New York City, The New Yorker has a wide audience outside New York and is read internationally. It is well known for its illustrated and often topical covers, its commentaries on popular culture and eccentric American culture, its attention to modern fiction by the inclusion of short stories and literary reviews, its rigorous fact checking and copy editing, its journalism on politics and social issues, and its single-panel cartoons sprinkled throughout each issue (from Wikipedia). The image above was made at the Photofunia site, which has no copyright issues.

 

 February 1925

 

In with a zing: this was the very first cover of the magazine setting the scene of what was to come. The subject is the dandy Eustace Tilley, a character created by Corey Ford (1902–1969). The drawing is by Rea Irvin.

 

 

June 1925

I have not been able to find out who was the illustrator for this cover, but I like how it mixes simplicity with a little touch of Art Deco in the lady's hairdo.

 

 

 October 1925

 

Showtime! A very clever minimalistic design, working with partially broken symmetry, with the revue girls depicted almost as stick figures. I could not decipher the signature of the illustrator.

 

 

 January 1926

 

Stanley W. Reynolds was one of the magazine's major illustrators during the first years, and this is one of his best covers.

 February 1926

Cubism and Art Deco influences reign in this jazz-inspired cover- the first by illustrator Vladimir Bobri (Bobritsky).

 

 March 1926

 

Stanley W. Reynolds once again, this time with some influence by the painter Modigliani.

 

July 1926

 

That is quite a beach party they have going there, courtesy of designer Eugene Gise!

 

 

September 1926

 

Trust the New Yorker to depict the jazz age perfectly in one of their vintage covers. Eugene Gise is the artist responsible for this little gem as well. 

 

 

October 1926

 

Since I'm married to an artist, depiction of a painter and his/her model have a special attraction to me. This cover was done by Constantin Alajalov, another regular contributor to the magazine.

 

 October 1926

 

Another Alajalov cover. It looks to me like they are getting ready to go hunting.

 October 1926

 

Speaking of hunting - no doubt that this is what inspired this cover. An undecipherable signature of the illustrator unfortunately.

 

 

October 1927

 

And so we end in party mode at a diner-dansant. There are so many great covers from this magazine that I plan to do at least one more in the future.

 

Copyright statement: posting lower quality magazine covers is deemed fair use.

The Dutch Seventies' Jukebox (3)

 

Over ten years ago I ran a parallel blog to this one, dedicated to sharing some of the best pop/rock hit singles of the seventies made by Dutch acts. That blog has long gone the way of the dodo, but I'm reviving it for the new lay-out of my art blog. There will be a number of posts, each containing twelve songs by different acts, in chronological order within one post. I will also be restricting myself in three aspects: no songs that were huge hits in the UK and/or USA, maximum four songs total for each act spread out over the various posts, and each song scores at least a 4/6 on the Artrockometer. The illustrations will be the original singles covers if I can find them, and each song description will end with a little symbol that links to the corresponding YouTube video (if available). The image above is by Rudy van der Veen and is in the public domain. OK... enjoy!

 

 

Never Marry a Railroad Man by Shocking Blue (1970)

 

Shocking Blue were a Dutch pop/rock band formed in 1967 in The Hague, with Mariska Veres as lead singer. Internationally, they are mainly known for their world wide hit Venus from the late sixties. In the Netherlands, they scored 14 top 40 hits, including seven that made the top ten (of which two went to number one). Never Marry a Railroad Man by Shocking Blue was one of those number ones.

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True Love That's a Wonder by Sandy Coast (1971)

 

Sandy Coast were a Dutch pop/rock band from the area around The Hague, formed around singer Hans Vermeulen. Over a period of fifteen years (1966-1981) they had twelve top40 hits in the Netherlands. True Love That's a Wonder was their biggest success, topping at number 3.

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Maribaja by The Cats (1973)

The Cats were one of the most successful pop groups from the Netherlands. They hail from the tiny fishing village of Volendam near Amsterdam, and inspired so many others from there to start a band, that the name Palingsound (Eel Sound) was coined for this particular style of radio-friendly music by groups from Volendam. From 1966 until 1985 they scored 36 hits in the Dutch top40, five of them reaching number one. Maribaja topped at number 6 and is a personal favourite of mine in their repertoire.

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Lucifera by Lemming (1973)

 

Lemming were a shock rock band who were active from 1973 until 1977, and was resurrected as The Lemming in 2002. They scored three top40 hits in the period 1973-1975; Lucifera was their first hit single, topping at number 19. 

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Let Your Hair Hang Down by Catapult (1974)

Catapult were a glamrock band from Leiden and Katwijk. They scored seven top40 hits from 1974 until 1976, and had another success in 1980 after changing their name to The Monotones. Let Your Hair Hang Down was their biggest success - the single topped at #5 in the charts.

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Chance For a Lifetime by Kayak

Kayak are a progressive rock band, who in addition to their albums (which are of general high quality) scored nine top40 hits in the period 1973-1980, including one top 10 hit. Chance For a Lifetime was their fourth hit, peaking at #31. A personal favourite of mine, although the album version is even better.

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My Morning Sun by Maddog (1975)

Maddog was one of many pop groups from the fishing village Volendam, performing in the typical "eel sound". Between 1973 and 1975 they had four small hits. I always loved their final hit My Morning Sun, even though it did not get higher than #28 in spite of extensive radio play.

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Rose Valley by Teach In (1976)

Teach In were a pop group from Enschede (my town of birth). They scored 12 top40 hits between 1974 and 1979, half of them reaching the top ten. Internationally they are best known for winning the Eurovision Song Festival in 1975. Rose Valley was one of their minor hits, topping out at #17 - but my personal favourite of their output.

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If You Ever Come To Amsterdam by Pussycat (1977)

Pussycat were a country pop group from the south of Limburg, formed around three singing sisters. With their debut single Mississippi from 1975 they scored an international hit, hitting the #1 position in many European countries, including the UK. All in all they charted with 15 songs in the Dutch top 40 in the period 1975-1983, including seven top ten hits, of which Mississippi and My Broken Souvenirs made #1. If You Ever Come To Amsterdam, a minor hit that topped at #20, is one of my two favourite songs from the band.

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You're The Greatest Lover by Luv' (1978)

Luv' was one of the first Dutch girls bands, the three members selected for their looks as much as their voices. From 1977 to 1993 they scored 13 disco-inspired top40 hits, including seven that reach the top ten and two that made number one. This is one of the two, and one of the few songs of this band that I like.

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Going Back to China by Diesel (1979)

Diesel is a rock band originally formed in 1979 by Pim Koopman and Rob Vunderink. Betweem 1979 and 1988 they had four minor hits in the top40. Going Back to China was their first single, reaching #28 in the charts.

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Copyright statement: posting lower quality single covers is deemed fair use.

Wear and Tear Abstractions

 

 Wear and tear, the effect of time on materials like stone, wood and metal, can create beautiful abstract images, often resembling abstract paintings. Like with all abstractions, it is essential to keep an eye open for suitable subjects. As an example, every time I come into an old European church, I look at the pillars and the walls, for possible abstracts. Another example one frequently encounters is rust, especially when it occurs in combination with painted metal around it. Although in some cases there may be shapes and line play at work as well, more often than not, the abstract effect comes from combining different colours, so black and white conversion is almost never a good idea for this theme. On the other hand, pushing the natural colours to extreme levels often lead to excellent results. The image above is created via Photofunia and is free from copyright issues.

 

 

Staelesque (2009)

 

An early shot of mine, taken in Amsterdam, and processed a year later. A door of a canal house with paint having peeled off over time. Pushed the colour quite a lot in post-processing, resulting in an abstract that reminds me of the paintings of de Stael.

 

 

Klimtesque (2009)

 

I came across this beauty in a side street in Prague. Just a stone wall, where time left its mark in beautiful shapes and colours (which I pushed a lot in post-processing in Picasa). The result is an abstract that reminds me of Klimt in its colour settings.

 

 

In the Church (2013)

 

I took this one in Kampen's main church (Bovenkerk). Six centuries of wear and tear left beautiful patterns on the supporting columns, with colours enhanced a bit in Picasa.

 

 

And All That Rust (2014)

 

I did not make a note what it is, and where I shot it (probably Kampen though). I like how it suggests some kind of landscape.

 

 

Abstraction in rust (2014)

 

A spot of rust that I saw on a ship moored at the IJssel banks near our home. A nice contrast of lines left and right.  

 

 

Rothkoesque (2016)

 

Here we have another take on a rusty hull of a ship moored at the IJssel in Kampen near our home - making an abstract  with hints of Rothko.

 

 

Abstracted Wall (2017)

 

Taken in Kampen during an open day where anyone could have a look at the old military (and later fine arts) school near our home that was being converted to apartments. This wall with its textures and colours made for a compelling abstract.

 

 

Ghent Triptych (2017)

 

This is a weathered door in Ghent, with the wooden planks that it was made from making a natural triptych feeling.

 

 

Who's Afraid of Yellow and Blue? (2018)

 

An example how to make something from (almost) nothing. It is a detail shot of a drain cover in the restaurant of the City Museum of The Hague, with some extreme post-processing to enhance the colours substantially.

 

 

Yellow Fever (2018)

 

I shot this image in an abandoned factory complex at the Yangshupu Road, Shanghai, which now houses the Shanghai Factory Outlet fashion shopping mall. Wear and tear at its best. 

 

 

Tangential (2019)

 

A close up of a rusty dumpster we came across in Drachten. I love the flowing double curve through this shot. 

 

 

Hattem Triptych (2019)

 

No, this is not a real triptych. A bench made of different types of wood made for a nice natural triptych abstract.

 

Copyright statement: all images copyright Hennie Schaper. Contact me if you like to use them.

Vintage Automobile Posters

 

 

Vintage advertisement posters are much sought after, and have been recognized for their artistic merit as well giving us a chance to look at days gone by. There have even been dedicated exhibitions of such posters in art museums. I like these nostalgic images and will post a few grouped per theme. Today's theme is automobiles - twelve different brands. The image above is created via Photofunia and is free from copyright issues.

 

 

Vauxhall (1920)

 

As we slowly are moving into autumn, a suitable vintage poster advertising the Vauxhall car brand. I love the general atmosphere in this one, which dates back to 1920.

 

 

Spijker (around 1920)

 

A nice piece of nostalgia, this poster from about 1920. Spyker was a Dutch car manufacturing company that was in business from 1898 until 1926. The poster was designed by Piet van der Hem. 

Voisin (1923)

Avions Voisin was a French luxury automobile brand established by Gabriel Voisin in 1919 which traded until 1939. This beautiful poster was made in 1923 by Charles Loupot.

 

 

Cadillac (1920s)

 

An intriguing vintage poster for the Cadillac car brand from the 20s - with the car itself occupying less than 5 % of the space. The main subject appears to be the lady with her two "art deco" dogs (as my wife and I tend to call this type of dog). No information on the designer - but it does have a Vogue vibe.

Renault (around 1930)

 

This vintage Renault poster from around 1930 reminds me of the time we drove a Scenic from that French brand (2004-2011) - a car that looked quite different though. The poster was created by the famous illustrator Rene Vincent (1879-1936).

 

 

Fiat (1930)

 

A beautiful vintage art deco poster for the Fiat Balilla, dating back to around 1930. Very elegant indeed, this combination of classic automobile and the lady dressed in the thirties' style.

 

 

Mercedes (around 1930)

 

A few years ago we went to a vintage car show near Groningen. For the occasion, a Mercedes poster which shows just the type of car that we saw dozens of (of different brands). I'd place this one around 1930. 

 

 

Studebaker (1934)

 

A beautiful romantic vintage poster from 1934 for the Studebaker car brand, including once more an "Art Deco dog". Studebaker was originally a producer of wagons, buggies, carriages and harnesses, and was in the automobile business from 1902 until 1967.

 

 Peugeot (1935)

The French car manufacturer Peugeot has issued many beautiful advertisement posters through the years. This one is from 1935, emphasizing the vehicle's acceleration, suggestively enforced by the drawing of the trees.

 

 

 Rolls Royce (1930s)

A late Art Deco poster (probably from the thirties) advertising the "best car in the world": Rolls Royce.

 

 

Delahaye (1930s)

 

A stunning Art Deco poster advertising the range of Delahaye municipal vehicles - in particular fire engines and ambulances. I could not find information on the designer. Time-wise, I'd say 1930s.

Messerschmidt (1950s)

 

A beautiful vintage poster from the fifties, depicting the Messerschmitt KR200 three-wheeled bubble car in an autumnal alpine landscape. The car's cockpit-like bubble reminds us of the fact that a decade earlier, Messerschmitt was producing some of the best fighter planes of the second world war.

 

 

Copyright statement: posting lower quality vintage advertisement posters is deemed fair use.