The Art of Dr. Seuss | 2023

The artistic legacy of THEODOR SEUSS GEISEL

from generation to generation since The Cat in the Hat was first published in 1957. The books have been made into much-loved films and are recognised by readers all around the world. “I like nonsense. It wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do. And that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” This indispensable life skill allows us to see what is essential, no matter how big the idea or task. And in the case of Dr Seuss, it always keeps us laughing as we encounter the many twists and turns in life.

Theodor Seuss Geisel, also known as Dr Seuss, created some of the best-known characters that have been adored by generations of children in his books, which include The Cat in the Hat , How the Grinch Stole Christmas , Horton Hears a Who! , Green Eggs and Ham , One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish , Fox in Socks and Hop on Pop . The loveable characters from these books, plus several more, are featured in our new limited edition artworks. Geisel’s simple words, honest emotion and illustrations brimming with wit and originality have created iconic books with characters and situations which stay with readers long after childhood has passed, and his works have been passed down

60 TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION

Dr Seuss’s iconic characters The Cat in the Hat and The Grinch celebrated their 60 th anniversary in 2017, and our collection contains extraordinary limited edition pieces featuring the characters in all their glory.

THE GRINCH – 60 TH ANNIVERSARY

Image Size 26” x 29” | Framed Size 30½” x 33” Edition of 395 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 60 SRs, 5 HCs, 2 PPs

THE CAT – 60 TH ANNIVERSARY

Image Size 25” x 29” | Framed Size 30” x 33” Edition of 395 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 60 SRs, 5 HCs, 2 PPs

HORTON – 60 TH ANNIVERSARY

Image Size 32” x 29” | Framed Size 36¼” x 33” Edition of 395 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 60 SRs, 5 HCs, 2PPs

“NONE OF MY ANIMALS HAVE JOINTS AND NONE OF THEM BALANCE. AND WHEN IT COMES TO THAT, NONE OF THEM ARE ANIMALS. THEY’RE ALL PEOPLE.” – DR. SEUSS

GREEN EGGS AND HAM – 60 TH ANNIVERSARY

Image Size 28” x 29” | Framed Size 32½” x 33½” Edition of 395 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 60 SRs, 5 HCs, 2 PPs

ONE FISH TWO FISH – 60 TH ANNIVERSARY

Image Size 23” x 29” | Framed Size 27” x 33” Edition of 395 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 60 SRs, 5 HCs, 2 PPs

HOP ON POP – 60 TH ANNIVERSARY

Image Size 29” x 29” | Framed Size 33½” x 33½” Edition of 395 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 60 SRs, 5HCs, 2 PPs

In honour of the 60 th anniversary, these limited-edition artworks are specially embossed with their own individual character specific stamp, along with special documentation memorialising the unique nature of these prints made during this 60 th year celebration.

DIPTYCH SUITE

KNOX IN BOX. FOX IN SOCKS. - DIPTYCH

Image Size 26½” x 17½” | Framed Size 37” x 29” Edition of 850 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs, 2 PPs

HOP POP TOP – DIPTYCH

Image Size 25” x 18½” | Framed Size 36” x 30” Edition of 1500 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs

LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME NOW! – DIPTYCH Image Size 26½” x 17½” | Framed Size 38” x 29¾” Edition of 850 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs

COLLAGE SUITE

ALL I NEED IS A REINDEER

Image Size 17½” x 20” | Framed Size 28½” x 31½” Edition of 850 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs, 2 PPs

I ALWAYS PICK UP MY PLAYTHINGS

Image Size 19” x 14” | Framed Size 30” x 25½” Edition of 1500 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs

ILLUSTRATION ART

Like American artist Norman Rockwell, Dr Seuss created every rough sketch, preliminary drawing, final line drawing, and finished work for each page of every project he illustrated. Despite the technical and budgetary limitations of colour printing during the early and mid-20th century, Dr Seuss was meticulous about colour selection. He created specially numbered colour charts to precisely accomplish his vision for each book. Saturated reds and blues, for example, were carefully chosen for The Cat in the Hat to attract and maintain the visual attention of a six-year-old audience. Even before Dr Seuss’s book career took off, sharp draughtsmanship skills were evident in his editorial works, advertisements, and cartoons. His ability to move a storyline ahead via illustrations filled with tension, movement, and colour became a hallmark of his children’s literature, and the surreal images that unfolded over six decades became the catalyst for a humorous and inspired learning experience.

AND A TRUNK JUST LIKE HIS!

Image Size 19” x 14½” | Framed Size 30” x 26” Edition of 2500 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs, 2 PPs

DO YOU LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM?

Image Size 17” x 14¼” | Framed Size 28” x 26” Edition of 2500 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs

THERE’S SO SO MUCH TO READ!

Image Size 19” x 14½” | Framed Size 30” x 26” Edition of 2500 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs, 2 PPs

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! – COVER ILLUSTRATION

Image Size 20½” x 16½” | Framed Size 31¼” x 27¾” Edition of 2500 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs, 2 PPs

INDIVIDUAL ART

KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS – CONCEPT DRAWING

Image Size 36” x 25¼” | Framed Size 40¼” x 29½” Edition of 850 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs, 2 PPs

OUT OF THE BOX CAME THING TWO AND THING ONE – TRIPTYCH

Image Size 48¾” x 14½” | Framed Size 60” x 26” Edition of 850 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs, 2 PPs

THESE THINGS ARE GOOD THINGS

Image Size 11” x 14” | Framed Size 25¼” x 29” Edition of 2500 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs

LITTLE CATS B, C, AND A!

Image Size 16” x 21” | Framed Size 26¾” x 33” Edition of 2500 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs

KNOX IN BOX. FOX IN SOCKS.

Image Size 14” x 17” | Framed Size 25¼” x 29” Edition of 2500 Arabic Numbers, 155 CPs

JUST NORTH OF WHOVILLE

Image Size 31¾” x 36” | Framed Size 32” x 40” Edition of 850 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs, 2 PPs

“SOMETIMES THE QUESTIONS ARE COMPLICATED, AND THE ANSWERS ARE SIMPLE.” – DR. SEUSS

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! – BOOK COVER Image Size 14” x 17½” | Framed Size 25¼” x 29” Edition of 2500 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs

SECRET ART

There are artworks in our new collection which you may not be as familiar with; pieces from Seuss’s ‘secret art’ collection heavily influenced by surrealist art, which he created separately from his children’s books. By the time Theodor Geisel visited Paris in 1926, the surrealist movement had already become a force with its first group show Exposition Surréaliste taking place in 1925. Joan Miró and Paul Klee would also show solo in Paris that year, then Yves Tanguy in 1927 and Salvador Dalí in 1929. Theodor, in the right place at the right time, considered Paris the exhilarating axis of his world, and he absorbed anything the arts offered. This early and powerful influence of surrealism stayed with Theodor throughout adulthood and is realized in his Secret Art paintings. Illustrator by day, surrealist by night, Dr Seuss created a body of irrepressible work during his leisure hours that would redefine him as an iconographic American artist. Revealing a dazzling rainbow of hues not seen in the primary-colour palette of his books for children, these paintings exhibit a sophisticated, technically accomplished, and often quite unrestrained side of his talent.

FIREBIRD

Image Size 44” x 22” | Framed Size 53” x 31½” Edition of 850 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs

LLUSTRATOR BY DAY, SURREALIST BY NIGHT, DR. SEUSS CREATED A BODY OF IRREPRESSIBLE WORK DURING HIS LEISURE HOURS THAT WOULD REDEFINE HIM AS AN ICONOGRAPHIC AMERICAN ARTIST.

CAT DETECTIVE IN THE WRONG PART OF TOWN

Image Size 24” x 32” | Framed Size 33¼” x 41½” Edition of 850 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs

LION STROLL

Image Size 36” x 24” | Framed Size 44” x 33¼” Edition of 850 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs

THE BIRDS AND THE TREES

Image Size 44” x 22” | Framed Size 51½” x 31” Edition of 850 Arabic Numerals, 155 CPs, 99 PCs, 5 HCs, 2 PPs

The Story of

Dr Seuss THEODOR SEUSS GEISEL

and also had a stint working in advertising. He had been writing

Dr Seuss had a fascination with animals that began when he was two years old in 1911 and the family moved to a house in Springfield, Massachusetts. From his open bedroom window, the young Theodor could hear the night cries of animals at the nearby Springfield Zoo. It wouldn’t be long before excursions to the zoo were a regular occurrence for Ted and his sketchpad, and that’s when his fascination for animals turned to love. Theodor began his career as a cartoonist and illustrator for leading publications,

children’s books for twenty years when The Cat in the Hat first stepped onto the world stage and supercharged his career. The quirky cat put him on the fast track to becoming a force in children’s literacy due in part to the book’s origins in an emerging philosophy of phonetic learning. Not only was the vocabulary largely taken from a list of 220 beginner’s words but the story crafted the story in a way that was easy for young readers to grasp.

The Art of Dr Seuss CHRONOLOGY

Writes and designs The 5,000 Fingers of Dr T , a full-length feature film. Receives honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Dartmouth College. How The Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in The Hat are published. Random House’s list of best-selling Seuss books ranks The Cat in The Hat at number two. Exhibits at the Fine Arts Gallery, San Diego. Publication of Happy Birthday to You! Publication of Green Eggs and Ham . Random House’s best-selling Seuss book. Publication of One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish . Publication of Hop on Pop . Receives Peabody Awards for television specials How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Horton Hears a Who . The Lorax is published. Exhibits at La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art. Receives Doctor of Humane Letters (Hon) from Lake Forest College, Illinois. Halloween is Grinch Night receives an Emmy Award for Best Children’s Special. Receives Laura Ingalls Wilder award from the American Library Association. The Grinch Grinches the Cat in The Hat receives the Emmy Award for Best Children’s Special. Receives Pulitzer Prize Special Citation award for his “contribution over nearly half a century to the education and enjoyment of America’s children and their parents”. Receives Doctor of Fine Arts (Hon) from Princeton University, New Jersey. Named Literary Lion by the New York Public Library. San Diego Museum of Art exhibition Dr Seuss From Then to Now . The final Dr Seuss book, Oh the Places You’ll Go! is published. It has been on the New York Times top ten bestseller list every year since its release.

Theodor Seuss Geisel is born on March 2. Graduates from Springfield Central High School, Massachusetts. Appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Dartmouth College humour magazine Jack-O-Lantern . Travels in Europe. The Saturday Evening Post purchases one of Ted’s cartoons for $25; his first professionally published cartoon. Lands a job with satirical magazine Judge at $75 per week. Ted’s first advertisement appears in Life magazine, beginning a successful 25-plus year advertising career. Ted’s paintings appear on the covers of Life and Judge. Creates his Collection of Unorthodox Taxidermy . Begins Essomarine advertising campaign for the Standard Oil company of New Jersey. After 27 rejections, the Vanguard Press publishes the first Dr Seuss book. Publication of the first Random House Dr Seuss book, The Seven Lady Godivas . Creates over 400 World War II editorial cartoons for PM magazine. Receives America’s Legion of Merit for World War II educational and informational films. The film Hitler Lives , based on a script Geisel wrote for a film called Your Job in Germany , won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject. Design for Death , a film written by Geisel, wins the Academy Award for Best Short Feature. Moves to La Jolla, California. Book awarded a Caldecott Honor as one of the most distinguished American picture books for children published during the preceding year. Another Caldecott Honor for Bartholomew and the Oobleck . Academy Award for Best Animated Short for the film Gerald McBoing-Boing , for which Geisel wrote the original story. Another Caldecott Honor.

1904 1921 1925 1926-27 1927

1952 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960

1928

1929 1934

1963 1971

1937 1939 1941-43 1946

1976-77 1977

1980 1982 1984

1947 1948

1985 1986

1950 1951

1990

Theodor Seuss Geisel dies on September 24 aged 87. The Secret Art of Dr Seuss is published, providing a first glimpse into Ted Geisel’s in-depth artistic legacy beyond his children’s books. The Art of Dr Seuss project launches authorized estate editions for museum exhibition and private collections. In the USA on May 6, the 33c Cat in The Hat postage stamp was unveiled. Read Across America , the country’s largest celebration of reading, is launched on Dr Seuss’s birthday. The musical Seussical opens on Broadway. Dr Seuss National Memorial dedication, Springfield, Massachusetts. Awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. US Post Office issues a Dr Seuss commemorative stamp on March 2. 100th birthday celebration – Seussentennial . Remember When Storytelling Mattered? exhibition at the Austin Museum of Art. The Art of Dr Seuss : A Retrospective and National Touring Exhibition at the Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco, which tours to galleries and museums internationally. Named to the California Hall of Fame. Travelling Dr Seuss sculpture garden launched at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. Publication of Secrets of the Deep: The lost, forgotten and hidden works of Theodor Seuss Geisel . Life Books published 100 People Who Changed the World . Dr Seuss was singled out as a “cultural icon.” Life said of him: “Geisel entertained America’s young with his rollicking rhymes, nutty narratives, and playful but artful pictures”. They added that he did “even more than entertain. His intricately crafted reader, The Cat in the Hat , was a fanciful adventure that educates even as it enthrals.” The William J Clinton Presidential Library hosts The Art of Dr Seuss: A Retrospective Exhibition and the travelling Dr Seuss sculpture garden. Dartmouth College names its medical school in honour of Audrey and Theodor Geisel.

1991 1995

1997

1999

2000 2002 2004

2008 2009 2010 2010

2011

2012

The images contained within this literature are an artistic representation of the collection. To best experience our art, we recommend you contact your local gallery to arrange a viewing. © Washington Green 2023. The content of this brochure is subject to copyright and no part can be reproduced without prior permission.

Dr. Seuss images and text are trademarks of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. Used by permission. Dr. Seuss Properties TM & © 2023 Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. All Rights Reserved.

Page 1 Page 2-3 Page 4-5 Page 6-7 Page 8-9 Page 10-11 Page 12-13 Page 14-15 Page 16-17 Page 18-19 Page 20-21 Page 22-23 Page 24-25 Page 26-27 Page 28-29 Page 30-31 Page 32-33 Page 34-35 Page 36-37 Page 38-39 Page 40-41 Page 42-43 Page 44-45 Page 46-47 Page 48-49 Page 50-51 Page 52-53 Page 54-55 Page 56-57 Page 58-59 Page 60-61 Page 62-63 Page 64-65 Page 66-67 Page 68-69 Page 70-71 Page 72-73 Page 74-75 Page 76-77 Page 78-79 Page 80-81 Page 82-83 Page 84-85 Page 86-87 Page 88-89 Page 90-91 Page 92-93 Page 94-95 Page 96-97 Page 98-99 Page 100

www.castlefineart.com

Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker