Pigs!

Stephen Nadler at the ever reliable Attempted Bloggery reminds me today, March 3rd,  is Ronald Searle's birthday!
See a celebration of swines over at Stephen's top knotch blog on cartooning and illustration here








Searle was, of course, famous for his cats but there were other creatures he drew almost as often.  These include dogs and birds  (which each deserve a post of their own) but curiously pigs too.

In fact Searle archived his sketches by animal category and the folders were labelled accordingly.  This folder contained sketches of pigs for various projects and also reference photos. Typically Searle would sketch from well researched reference and evolve the cartoon design.

Variations on the 'Moment of Reflection' (1972)

The piece appears to be a potential New Yorker cover proposal?

Sketch for Searle's 'Swine Lake' lithograph

Sketch for Searle's piggy version of Fragonard's 'The Swing' 

'Mislaid Masterpieces: SWINGER by Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806)

Despite its vivacity and virtuosity, this painting (c. 1765) was heavily criticized at the time, for not being sufficiently vacuous.  Furious, Fragonard revised the subject as L'Escarpolette, (Wallace Collection, London), in which he placed even more emphasis on the bestial behaviour of the participants.'

-Ronald Searle: In Perspective

                                                  Also published as a lithograph in the 70s

Here we see an amorous pig rejected by its pachyderm object of desire in a storyboard for an animated spot produced with Ivor Wood

'Adoration'

The following are from Searle's sketchbook for his 'Zoodiac' book

'Gourmand'

'PigSty'

'The Sensitive One'

'Déjeuner sur l'herbe' (1976)

The following were published in 'The Square Egg & the Vicious Circle' 1968

 This pig sleeps well while unnervingly sharing the room with a butchered human!

'This work was drawn in 1974, and it was edited in the back cover of the French magazine Le Fou Parle, issue number 9, in January 1979.' - ecc

We shall end this porcine birthday post with the idealized pig of Rome-ham Antiquity (sorry!)

Ireland

The Emerald Isle as seen through Searle's eyes.  Drawn in 1962 but published in 'Holiday' magazine April 1963.

'The human traffic on O'Connell Street, watched over by an angelic harp'.

At Trinity College this rebellious student reads Brendan Behan while the others are engrossed with Shaw, Wilde et al.

'Often, in Dublin, it is considered more sporting to loose your shirt than to keep it on.  Hence the popularity of horses.'

'Tears flow easy in a Dublin pub, but not even the heartbreaking songs from a brendanbehanish bard can truly water the beer.'

"It's Guinness!" O'Connell Bridge and the Liffey June 1962 (unpublished)

The Quays

Merrion Square

'Ireland is poor because it is infested by tricky thieves called leprechauns, who diligently hold up the exchequer in broad fairy light.  As greedy as their four-footed helpers, they bury their loot in crocks at the rainbow's end.'

'With his head not quite tucked underneath his arm, Dublin's logomachic chronicler, James Joyce, haunts the Martello tower at Sandycove.  As everyone recalls, the opening scene of his 783-page ulyssiad unravels here-a conversation of sorts between stately, plump Black Mulligan and moody, broody Stephen Dadalus.'

'The Antic Arts- Dublin's Lusty Theatre'

The drawing above recently sold at auction was not published as part of the article.

Searle illustrated this report by S. J. Perelman on 'the haunted manor of Poltrooney'.

Illustrations for 'In Quest of Beer' by Frank O'Connor
HOLIDAY magazine 1957 January

'Paris Folklore-Irish pubs all over' International Herald Tribune 15-16 March 1997
pg 24 'Green Power: the Irish Pub Invasion' by Mary Blume

Drawn for HOLIDAY but unpublished

More Winespeak

In the early 80s Searle was commissioned by wine-maker John Goelet to publicise his Clos du Val winery in the Napa Valley, California and his Taltarni vineyard in Moonambel, Australia.

The drawings were later published in the collections titled 'The Illustrated Winespeak' and 'Something In the Cellar'

Republished in 1987 as 'Ozzie Winespeak' to promote Taltarni and the Americas Cup.

Ivor Wood animates Searle's Winespeak drawings for the Clos du Val winery. In the video online here you'll see Searle's Bacchus & his kangaroo steed animated in stop-motion!  The drawn animation is some of the best examples of Searle's style animated in 2-D.

See more on Wood and Searle's animation here

Searle on wine - one of his favourite subjects!

Searle also designed their wine bottle labels

 'Petit verdot'

'Beast Friends Forever'

Watch a promo reel for 'Beast Friends Forever' by Robert L. Forbes illustrated by Ronald Searle

Valentine

Stephen Nadler's blog on Searle & Valentines Day reminds me-