Dr.Seuss is a household name for many of his children’s book and whimsical stories. Many of his work such as “How The Grinch Stole Christmas”, “The Cat in The Hat”, “Horton Hears a Who!” and my personal favourite “Horton Hatches the Egg” are still widely read across the globe.
For today’s post, I would not review about his famous children’s books. Instead, I would like to blog about a big printed book which unlocks Theodor Seuss Geissel a.k.a Dr.Seuss’s non-commercial art and his rare works.
About Ted.
It is not difficult to look up Dr.Seuss’s biography online introducing who the man was. The difference between his biography online versus this printed book was that Caroline M.Smith and the team of editors were able to provide a more in-depth view of Dr.Seuss. They were written in: (1)chronological order based on Ted’s earliest time frame till his later years; (2)his relationship with his families such as Ted Owens; (3)narrations of Ted from his friends; (4)how he morphed from being an author into an illustrator, into a painter, into a sculptor and into a political cartoonist.
From naming himself as Theo Seuss 2nd, to Dr.Theophrastus Seuss, to Dr.Theodophilus Seuss, just like the rest of us going through changes in life, “Dr.Seuss” finally appeared in 1937 for the book titled And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street making him the famous Dr.Seuss we know of today.
Midnight Paintings – Secret Art.
Before I went through this book, I was not aware of Dr.Seuss’s secret art although I was not surprised that he made them. After all, almost all talented artists will have a secret stash of art waiting to be discovered after they have passed. In Ted Geisel’s case, Caroline wrote that he had 60 years of secret projects hidden away from the public eye but intended to be seen after he is gone.
This book was originally published as Secrets of the Deep but now it has been revised to The Cat Behind the Hat. The Art of Dr.Seuss. I was taken into another dimension and captivated by Dr.Seuss’s secret art where he felt free to express himself through different pieces. There were many untitled or abstract art of Dr.Seuss printed in this book. It took me many hours to flip through the entire book because there were so many paintings to digest and appreciate. Here’s an example of Ted’s secret art snippet from the book.
Great Depression, War and Education.
Dr.Seuss was born in the era of The Greatest Generation so it was inevitable for him to have witnessed The Great Depression and World War II. Hence, you will find a wide variety of sketches, art prints and stories based on political views, helplessness and righteousness during this time.
One of the example shown from this big book, I learned that The Sad, Sad Story of The Obsks were based on the unemployment situation during The Great Depression. Frankly, I was sad after looking at the Obsks looking for Jobsks in Bobsks.
Throughout this period, the author explained that Theodor found the educational system for children of this generation devastating. It made him realized the importance of education for children and therefore inspired him to create many children’s story back then which lasted till today.
I would also like to clarify that I am not here to judge nor speculate any of the drawings done by Ted during war time period. You have to be aware that many of these art pieces exists because they were drawn during a different time, under different circumstances.
Imaginative…and Still Multi-talented.
Perhaps you might have read all of Dr.Seuss’s book? Perhaps you have watched some of his stories in films? Perhaps you are a fan or maybe not? Whatever your stance is towards Dr.Seuss work, one has to agree that he was a multi-talented imaginative individual.
You will find many more eye opening articles of why he drew what he drew if you have an opportunity to go through this book. A quote from this book and Dr. Seuss himself: “If you don’t get imagination as a child, you probably never will.”
–Mistytoad–