Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Free Blog : Our Generation's Favorite Pastime


So for this entry, I decided to blog about Dr. Seuss. Now if you grew up in America or many other parts of the world, Dr. Seuss was the man that made you imagine and learn. As a child I loved reading and rereading the stories he made because of the colors, the characters, and the rhyme schemes, but a little more about Dr. Seuss. Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2nd, 1904 in Springfield, Mass. His family was of German descent. Ted attended Dartmouth College where he became the editor-in-chief of the humor magazine Jack-O-Lantern. When he was caught throwing a party against school policy, Ted was removed from the magazine. In order to still get his work put in the magazine, he signed by another name and thus Dr. Seuss was born. Geisel had always covered his school notes with doodles so during his first years in graduate school to become a professor, it was no surprise when Dr. Seuss decided to leave and become an artist and illustrator. During the early parts of his art career, Seuss’s political cartoons and advertising works were published around the nation. Many of his political cartoons commented on the current WWII issues of the time.




In 1937, Dr. Seuss created his most well-known character The Cat in the Hat while working on a book he was illustrating. Who would’ve thought 70 years later, Dr. Seuss would be remembered as one of the most gifted artists of our time and still impact the youth of all generations.
Many people regard Dr. Seuss as a surrealist because his art was out of the ordinary in order to fit his fantastic stories. Seuss is prized for his meticulous color selection for each and every piece of art he created. Many of his books have saturated blues and reds in order to catch and keep the attention of a six-year-old. One of my favorite stories was “Oh! The Places You’ll Go!” This book talks a lot about growing up and teaches the listener that she can be anything she dreams of. In this book like many of Seuss’s other books, he uses specific colors such as soft oranges, blues, purples, and pinks to convey a magical atmosphere. Dr. Seuss artfully uses many of his illustrations to move the story along. Even though at this time many people moved to print and color machines, Seuss drew each and every preliminary sketch, line drawing, and final work for all his stories and as a young reader (and today) I marvel at the imagination and skill Seuss used to create the creatures he saw in his own head.
Oh, the Places You'll Go! (1990)


Though many people know Dr. Seuss for his children’s stories, he also painted and sculpted. For 60 years he created works surreal in nature. Recently his Secret Works were also released.




The Cat Detective In the Wrong Part of Town painting


No matter how you came to know Dr.Seuss, whether through his books, political cartoons, or through his Christmas specials, his work allows children to dream without limits.
Sources: http://www.drseussart.com/biography.html
Mariah

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