Hats Off to Dr. Seuss! is a rare and exciting exhibition that is traveling the country visiting selected venues throughout 2013. It is currently in La Jolla, and several of us (thanks Marilyn for arranging) went to see it. Audrey S. Geisel, the widow of Dr. Seuss, has generously opened up the Estate's legendary "hat closet" to allow the public a peek at Dr. Seuss's hat collection. This is all in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Dr. Seuss's second book, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. The hat collection is being shown along side his little-known Secret Art, a series of Estate authorized works adapted from Ted Geisel's original drawings, painting, and sculpture.
Theodore Geisel saw hats as transformational, both in his personal life and in his artwork. From the time he was a small boy in Springfield, Massachusetts, he was aware of their inherent magic. Far beyond their functionality, hats were the accent-the exclamation point, on a person's behavior. Hats could entertain, delight and embellish, even tease and taunt, but most of hats helped Dr. Seuss deliver a world of life-changing inspiration. In his personal life he would have dinner parties, and in the middle of the festivities would disappear, only to reappear shortly wearing one of his whimsical hats.
Theodore Geisel himself wore many hats. He was a cartoonist, worked in advertising, wrote political cartoons during World War 11, was a film maker, a writer, an artist, a friend and a husband. The one thing he was not, was a father. In fact, he didn't really like kids very much. He reportedly once said of children, "You have them, I'll entertain them." He had an exciting life, including lots of travel with his wife Audrey, whom he married in 1968. His first wife committed suicide.
Dr. Seuss' first book was Cat in the Hat. It's an interesting story as to how it got written. Houghton Mifflin contracted with Dr. Seuss to write a children's primer using 220 new reader vocabulary words, and his first book was born. Children were bored with primers like Dick and Jane, and Dr. Seuss' rhyming format and whimsical drawings were just what children needed. What a rare talent he was! Is there a child that hasn't been influenced by his words and pictures? What a treat to get to see this exhibit, and find out some interesting and unknown facts about Theodore Geisel. Go see this exhibit and find out more. It will be at Legends Gallery in La Jolla through August 4.
Friday, July 26, 2013
The Many Hats Of Dr. Seuss
Hats Off to Dr. Seuss! is a rare and exciting exhibition that is traveling the country visiting selected venues throughout 2013. It is currently in La Jolla, and several of us (thanks Marilyn for arranging) went to see it. Audrey S. Geisel, the widow of Dr. Seuss, has generously opened up the Estate's legendary "hat closet" to allow the public a peek at Dr. Seuss's hat collection. This is all in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Dr. Seuss's second book, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. The hat collection is being shown along side his little-known Secret Art, a series of Estate authorized works adapted from Ted Geisel's original drawings, painting, and sculpture.
Theodore Geisel saw hats as transformational, both in his personal life and in his artwork. From the time he was a small boy in Springfield, Massachusetts, he was aware of their inherent magic. Far beyond their functionality, hats were the accent-the exclamation point, on a person's behavior. Hats could entertain, delight and embellish, even tease and taunt, but most of hats helped Dr. Seuss deliver a world of life-changing inspiration. In his personal life he would have dinner parties, and in the middle of the festivities would disappear, only to reappear shortly wearing one of his whimsical hats.
Theodore Geisel himself wore many hats. He was a cartoonist, worked in advertising, wrote political cartoons during World War 11, was a film maker, a writer, an artist, a friend and a husband. The one thing he was not, was a father. In fact, he didn't really like kids very much. He reportedly once said of children, "You have them, I'll entertain them." He had an exciting life, including lots of travel with his wife Audrey, whom he married in 1968. His first wife committed suicide.
Dr. Seuss' first book was Cat in the Hat. It's an interesting story as to how it got written. Houghton Mifflin contracted with Dr. Seuss to write a children's primer using 220 new reader vocabulary words, and his first book was born. Children were bored with primers like Dick and Jane, and Dr. Seuss' rhyming format and whimsical drawings were just what children needed. What a rare talent he was! Is there a child that hasn't been influenced by his words and pictures? What a treat to get to see this exhibit, and find out some interesting and unknown facts about Theodore Geisel. Go see this exhibit and find out more. It will be at Legends Gallery in La Jolla through August 4.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment