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Unauthorized Portraits [Hardcover]

Edward Sorel (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)


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Book Description

October 7, 1997
From one of America's most brilliant satirical artists: his best, his funniest, his most deliciously wicked and memorable caricatures of the past thirty years.
  


Here are history's great and near great--166 heroes, rogues, fools, and geniuses: from Moses leading his kvetching people ("Some miracle! If I don't get pneumonia, that'll be a miracle") through the parted Red Sea waters, to George Gershwin teaching Fred Astaire a dance step, to Madonna seen as a horseperson of the apocalypse ; from Brahms dozing off as Liszt plays, to Rodin auditioning models, and Reagan as Robin Hood, taking from the poor and giving to the rich.
  


Here are such fabulous targets for the satirist's pen as LBJ, Nixon and the Watergate Gang, a holstered Jimmy Carter at high noon in the hostage crisis, and a poignant Dan Quayle as the central figure in a comic strip about a man who wants a little respect.
  


And it's pure pleasure to watch Sorel portray Tom Wolfe in his famous white suit or Woody Allen and Mia Farrow caught in The Storm, or draw a bead on such superstars as Picasso and John Updike, Barbra Streisand, Colette, Truman Capote, and the entire cast of Casablanca. Each of the book's three sections--"History," "Entertainment and the Arts,"  "Politics" --has a wry autobiographical introduction, and every drawing has its own pithy, informative caption.
  


Here's wit aplenty, visual and verbal--a splendid satirical view of the wise, the beautiful, the clever, and the flawed, over the centuries, who loom large in our lives and in our imaginations.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Edward Sorel has been wielding his squiggle-prone, satirical pen for more than 40 years, poignarding the heroes, villains, and holy fools of history. Sometimes he looks far into the past for his subjects: we're not likely to see a more human image of Moses, parting the Red Sea for a horde of skeptical followers. ("If he's so smart," one complains, "why doesn't he make these dead fish disappear?") And his picture of a pouting Napoleon, who's just given Josephine her walking papers for failing to produce an heir, catches the man at a less-than-imperial moment. Yet Sorel is even better when it comes to modern times. Who else has gotten down the dime-store priapism of Hugh Hefner with such good humor? Sorel captures James Joyce's myopic intensity, Tom Wolfe's white-suited dandyism, and Lyndon Johnson at his grinning, victorious, ballot-stuffing best. Serving up our household gods in black and white or color, Unauthorized Portraits opens a window into contemporary culture, and a hugely entertaining one at that.

From Kirkus Reviews

A welcome review of the great caricaturist's work, ranging from the 1970s to the present, with sections on ``History'' (with a droll strip on God, a hilarious portrait of a variety of American presidents caught in illicit liaisons, and a young Truman Capote having tea with a wonderfully dour Colette); ``Entertainment and the Arts'' (featuring a blithe George Gershwin showing Fred Astaire the choreography for ``Fascinating Rhythm,'' and a startling portrait of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow); and ``Politics,'' which includes some of Sorel's most identifiable--and savage--work, such as his frequent, inspired pilloryings of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. There's an impressive continuity here: From his earliest work Sorel has demonstrated a powerful gift for rendering the personalities of the famous in a manner that is slyly exaggerated, psychologically penetrating, and utterly convincing. He also, as this generous gathering of work (principally from magazines) reminds us, has an extraordinary range of knowledge about popular culture. And he is a subtle and very effective colorist. A deeply amusing, even necessary, volume. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 173 pages
  • Publisher: Knopf; 1st edition (October 7, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0679454667
  • ISBN-13: 978-0679454663
  • Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,864,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I'd give it ten stars!, January 6, 2001
By 
Paco Calderón (Mexico City, Mexico) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Unauthorized Portraits (Hardcover)
Mr. Sorel is the most elegant cartoonist there is! His sophisticated draftsmanship is superb, the subtle way he uses colors has no match and, well, I guess even the guys he most mercilessly trashes ought to be proud to appear in such fantastic cartoons!

Besides, the man obviously knows what he's talking about: art, books, movies, music, politics... Simply put, Edward Sorel's work is THE example of what an intelligent cartoonist should look like.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A One-of -A-Kind Book!, July 19, 2007
This review is from: Unauthorized Portraits (Paperback)
I have been a fan of Editorial Cartoons and cartoons in general for many years. The Editorial Cartoons we get in our daily papers are pretty much written around the news of the day and are wonderful in their own way.However, they tend to lose their punch very quickly and are not intended to be otherwise.
What Sorel gives us is more the thinking man's portraits presented as caricatures.His portraits are more akin to what you see in the higher scale magazines such as The New Yorker and Esquire. Because more thought goes into these portraits;they tend to give a picture of that person over a much longer period of time and therefoe gets to their real essence.
When you look at one of these portraits,say the one of Marlon Brando and Al Pacino on page 94,you can't help but agree that Sorel has really captured the essence of these two great actors.His portrayal of the 5th Anniversary of Watergate,on page 147,as a picnic ,leaves one with the thought;What a party it was! Then on page 108 ,he steps back and portrays the Great Modern Irish Writers,Joyce,Yeats,O'Casey,Beckett,Lady Gregory,Oliver St.John O'Gogarty and Synge,and what a serious and determined lot they be;and little wonder there was no place among them for the irrasible Brendan Behan.Whether it's Sinatra,Bacall,LBJ,Nixon,Bogart,Hefner,Eastwood,Caruso,Napoleon,MadonnaReagan,Quale,Truman & Ike on page 166,Clinton in the company of Past Presidents,or Gingrich being consoled by Uncle Sam;if you like characters and the artistic portrayal of them by a great caricaturist;you'll love this book












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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for cartoonists and illustrators., October 14, 1997
By 
merklein@execpc.com (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Unauthorized Portraits (Hardcover)
"Unauthorized Portraits" is a sumptuous must-read for the working cartoonist or illustrator (like myself). Edward Sorel's clever drawings and candid text will amuse, inspire, humble, and even comfort any commercial artist or pop culture enthusiast. Sorel is an artist and a gentleman (I know; I've met him) - but he is also a visual raconteur. I hope his agile pens never run dry.
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