Joseph Low, 95, Illustrator of Children's Books, Dies
wazzzy
Joseph Low, an illustrator who did absurdist covers for The New Yorker
and won Caldecott honors for the children's book "Mice Twice," died on
Feb. 12 at his home in Edgartown, Mass., on Martha's Vineyard. He was
95.
He died in his sleep of natural causes, said his daughter Damaris
Botwick.
In the 1950s Mr. Low was known for his expressively witty linear
style, which challenged the prevailing trends of Rockwellian realism,
yet was consistent with European comic surrealism. Using wild pen
gestures he created glyphlike characters meant for both adult and
child that were both sophisticated and accessible.
The witty, at times enigmatic, covers he made for The New Yorker
beginning in 1940 were based partly on drawings he had made of
medieval stone and wood carvings he had found in Basque towns of
northern Spain and southern France. For his later covers, the last
appearing in 1980, he drew fanciful animals and scenes but avoided
typical gags.
Mr. Low freelanced for publishers and advertising agencies, and at
times produced book jackets and record covers. In the 1940s, he
acquired a vintage hand press from a defunct newspaper in West
Virginia and set up his first printing shop; in 1960 he became
proprietor of his own private press, Hill Press in Newtown, Conn.,
named after the road on which he lived. Working as the sole writer,
editor, illustrator, platemaker, compositor, proofreader and pressman,
he published limited editions of short stories and poetry, illustrated
with his own wood and linoleum cuts. The first of these was titled
"Heads" (1960). He was an expert in fine typefaces and elegant
composition, also enjoying hand lettering, combining scripts and Roman
letterforms.
Mr. Low was born in Coraopolis, Pa., in 1911, but grew up in Chicago
and attended the Chicago Art Institute. He spent many hours in the
stacks at the nearby Newberry Library soaking up inspiration in its
rich collection of illustrated books. (He recently donated an archive
of his own work to that collection.)
In 1937 he moved to New York to attend the Art Students League, where
he studied with the German artist George Grosz. Mr. Grosz's
expressionistic sensibility seemed to have touched aspects of Mr.
Low's style, although his work was not as politically charged.
As a student at the league he met Ruth Hull, whom he married in 1940.
They worked on books together, including "Mother Goose Riddle Rhyme."
Mr. Low published Mrs. Low's "St. John Backtime" (1985), a history of
the Caribbean Island of St. John, where, as sailing enthusiasts, they
lived half of the year. Her book "St. John Voices" was ready to be
printed when Mr. Low died; it will be published in 2008.
Mr. Low's playful graphic style lent itself to children's picture
books, which from the late '50s to nearly the end of his life made up
a large portion of his output. "Mice Twice," about a cat that invites
a mouse to dinner and is surprised by the guest the mouse brings
along, was named a Caldecott honor book in 1981. He also illustrated
more than a dozen other books, including "Aesop: L'Estrange" (1964),
"A Learical Lexicon: From the Works of Edward Lear" (1966), "There Was
a Wise Crow" (1973), "Boo to a Goose" (1975), "The Christmas
Grump" (1977), "A Mad Wet Hen and Other Riddles" (1992), and "Beastly
Riddles" (1993).
His wife died in 2006. In addition to Ms. Botwick, of New York City,
he is survived by another daughter, Jenni Oliver of Edgartown, who has
also done covers for The New Yorker, and a granddaughter.
Brad Ferguson
wazzzy <enter...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The witty, at times enigmatic, covers he made for The New Yorker
> beginning in 1940 were based partly on drawings he had made of
> medieval stone and wood carvings he had found in Basque towns of
> northern Spain and southern France. For his later covers, the last
> appearing in 1980, he drew fanciful animals and scenes but avoided
> typical gags.
Without effort, I found a cover from 1983 and another from 1984, which
may have been his last.
Here's a link to some? all? of his covers for The New Yorker:
<http://www.thenewyorkerstore.com/search_results_category.asp?sitetype=1
&artist=Joseph+Low§ion=prints&advanced=1&title=Joseph+Low>