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Visiting the Barn: Constantin Alajálov New Yorker Cover Art
Illustrations are created for a purpose, and that purpose is generally to be reproduced in print. Not knowing the publication history of an original illustration often means not understanding its...
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Chorus Line: Constantin Alajálov New Yorker Cover Art
In writing Monday's post, it occurred to me that the Clark Art Institute, owner of an original work of New Yorker cover art by Constantin Alajálov published on June 6, 1942, almost certainly has no...
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A Chorus Girl's Eyelashes: Constantin Alajálov New Yorker Cover Art
The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute boasts seven works by illustrator Constantin Alajálov, no fewer than five of which are fine examples of original New Yorker cover art. Clearly, this was a...
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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #424
Here is my entry for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #424 for April 21, 2014. The drawing is provided by Tom Cheney and the caption is by me."I still say we should do the laundry at my...
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A Hot Tip: Constantin Alajálov New Yorker Cover Art
Take a look at this amusing original illustration by Constantin Alajálov in the collection of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. The museum's online metadata gives it the...
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The Bewildered Sentry: Constantin Alajálov Preliminary New Yorker Cover Art
My survey of the works of Constantin Alajálov in the collection of the Clark Art Institute continues with an example of preliminary New Yorker cover art, the only such example in their collection. The...
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The Theatre Lobby: Constantin Alajálov New Yorker Cover Art
The final example of original New Yorker cover art by Constantin Alajálov in the collection of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts is a superb illustration of a Broadway theatre...
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Constantin Alajálov: Portrait of Jane Bourbon del Monte, Princess di San...
My self-appointed trial as off-site guest curator to the Clark Art Institute's collection of original illustration art by Constantin Alajálov must now come to an abrupt end. Six of the Clark's works by...
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The Clarks as Collectors
Recently I have surveyed the work of illustrator Constantin Alajálov residing in the collection of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It did not immediately occur to me that these...
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Telephone Exchange: Constantin Alajálov Saturday Evening Post Cover Art
From the estate of illustration collector Charles Martignette comes this original 1962 cover art for the Saturday Evening Post by Constantin Alajálov. Martignette also owned at least one original piece...
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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #425
Dearly beloved, this is my entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #425 for April 28, 2014. The drawing is provided by P. C. Vey. The caption is provided by me."Our staff always gives their...
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Constantin Alajálov's "Blithe Spirit"
The original American production of Noël Coward's spritely comedy "Blithe Spirit" opened on London's West End in 1941 and on Broadway later that year. The illustration promoting the American production...
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Constantin Alajálov's Portrait of a Young Girl
What I find interesting about this portrait by Constantin Alajálov is how much it differs from his commercial illustration. Many of his magazine covers have stylized faces that are essentially...
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The Eiffel Tower's Anniversary
Gustave Eiffel's Tower opened 125 years ago today at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. It was envisioned as a temporary structure that would remain for only twenty years. It is our great fortune...
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Constantin Alajálov: A Room with a View
Constantin Alajálov's 1956 cover for the Saturday Evening Post shows an American couple checking in to a Parisian hotel room with a splendid view. Or two.Constantin Alajálov,The Saturday Evening Post,...
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Yank Friendliness Comes to the Eiffel Tower
A 1945 Coca-Cola ad celebrates the liberation of Paris. Specifically, it pays tribute to the American soldier and his "Yank friendliness" in sharing his favorite soft drink with the locals.Hitler had...
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Constantin Alajálov: The Play's the Thing
It's time once again for the National Football League Draft, an annual tradition that dates back to 1936. Constantin Alajálov's humorous 1939 cover for the New Yorker, then, would date from the fourth...
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Family Tree: Constantin Alajálov Preliminary New Yorker Cover Art
Whether you call it a study as Bonhams did or you call it preliminary cover art as I do here, there's something unusual about Constantin Alajálov's drawing of a dog family tree. It is a finished...
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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #426
Here is my entry for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #426 for May 8, 2014. The drawing is by Liam Francis Walsh. The caption is by a Baby Boomer who can relate to the situation."I still like...
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Constantin Alajálov: Then Comes Marriage
Happy Mother's Day!Constantin Alajálov's 1942 New Yorker cover illustration depicts a newlywed bride's sudden awareness of the new direction her life may soon take. The groom is predictably oblivious...
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