Customer Reviews

Unauthorized Portraits

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4 star:		(1)
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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.

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

"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.

This is a great book and a must have. Not only are the illustrations great but the text is also wonderful