Anyone who has looked at collections of the New Yorker’s cartoons (at least those dated from the 1920s to the 1960s) has seen Arno’s work. His cartoons are simple, yet bold, and are daring without being shocking. Of the artist himself I knew nothing until I read Maslin’s book.
And I am glad I did. Maslin’s writing is excellent, studying as it does both Arno’s artistic career and his personal life. Separately they’d be interesting, together they’re fascinating. Arno’s relationship with his father, his attempts at Broadway shows, his wartime work, his marriages, his finances and his short-lived band all make for great material, and Maslin pulls it all together to give the reader a feel for the man who didn’t just draw characters… he was one.
Arno's work is in many ways like Chas Addams. Not stylistically or in the type of humor, rather it is the same in that the TYPE of humor illustrated by each of the two artists became associated with the STYLE of the artist himself. Just as Addams' macabre sense of humor can be identified by the type of detailed, creepy pen and wash style Arno's lampoons of society are associated with his sharp lines and minimalist backgrounds.
Naturally, illustrated with Arno cartoons and some photographs.
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