- Steinberg, Saul
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born June 15, 1914, Râmnicu Sărat, Rom.died May 12, 1999, New York, N.Y., U.S.Romanian-born U.S. cartoonist and illustrator.He studied architecture in Milan, meanwhile publishing cartoons in Italian magazines. Settling in New York City in 1942, he worked as a freelance artist, illustrator, and cartoonist, mainly for The New Yorker. His extraordinarily original and instantly recognizable works are often surrealistic or whimsically nightmarish visions of contemporary America and frequently employ odd versions of pop-culture icons. His subject matter ranges from the whimsical (e.g., a wicker chair overtaken by its curlicues) to the satirical (sinister, overgrown gadgets) to the philosophical (a tiny figure perched on a giant question mark balanced at the edge of an abyss).Saul Steinberg, photograph by Arnold Newman, 1951.© Arnold Newman
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▪ 2000Romanian-born American artist-cartoonist (b. June 15, 1914, Ramnicu Sarat, near Bucharest, Rom.—d. May 12, 1999, New York, N.Y.), created metaphysically inspired drawings that ranged from the doodle to the complex and sophisticated, depicting their subjects with whimsy and satire, especially in The New Yorker magazine, with which he was associated for over 50 years. In his best-known cartoon, View of the World from 9th Avenue, which graced the cover of the March 29, 1976, issue, he lampooned the supposed provincialism of the typical Manhattanite by portraying the world beyond the Hudson River as markedly diminished in size and importance. His work—often compared to that of Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Marcel Duchamp, and Paul Klee, among others—also often featured such figures as crocodiles, Uncle Sam, an evil Mickey Mouse, numbers, letters, and punctuation marks. Steinberg studied sociology, psychology, and philosophy at the University of Bucharest (1932–33) and architecture at the Polytechnic Institute of Milan (Ph.D., 1940) but had begun drawing in 1934. He first sold a drawing in 1935 and was first published in The New Yorker in 1941. Fleeing fascism, Steinberg left Italy in 1941—his passport sporting a stamp he had created—and was allowed entry into the U.S. in 1942. Immediately after he became (1943) a U.S. citizen, he joined the navy. Cartoons he drew were dropped behind enemy lines to inspire resistance against the Nazis. Steinberg's first one-man show was held in 1943, and his first book of sketches, All in Line, appeared in 1945. His hand appeared in the film An American in Paris (1951) whenever the character played by Gene Kelly needed to be shown drawing. A retrospective of Steinberg's work was held at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1978, and he published such books as The Passport (1954), The New World (1965), The Inspector (1973), and The Discovery of America (1992). In all, The New Yorker featured 642 of his drawings and 85 of his covers.* * *
▪ American cartoonistoriginal name Saul Jacobsonborn June 15, 1914, Râmnicu Sărat, Rom.died May 12, 1999, New York, New York, U.S.Romanian-born American cartoonist and illustrator, best known for his line drawings that suggest elaborate, eclectic doodlings.Steinberg studied sociology and psychology at the University of Bucharest and architecture in Milan. From 1936 to 1939 he published his cartoons in Italian magazines. Settling in New York City in 1942, Steinberg worked as a freelance artist, cartoonist, and illustrator, mainly for The New Yorker magazine, and exhibited his drawings in Paris, New York City, and other cities. Steinberg's subject matter ranges from the whimsical (e.g., a wicker chair overtaken by its curlicues) to the satirical (sinister, overgrown gadgets) to the philosophical (a tiny figure perched on a giant question mark balanced at the edge of an abyss).* * *
Universalium. 2010.