Looking at Art:

My uncle Henri Arnold’s cartoons were syndicated nationally. After admiring many drawings made by cartoonists, I asked him to explain the difference between a cartoon and a drawing. His said the difference was in the intention of the artist. The cartoonist wanted to make their audience laugh. An illustrator also has a specific goal which is to explain something like a book, or other text and is often for commercial use. Fine art does not function as an explanation for something else and does not have the utilitarian use of an illustration. It is, instead, the original, personal expression of an artist. The idea in illustration often comes from someone other than the illustrator. In fine art, the idea expressed is the artist’s own concept. Do you think this is a valid distinction?

Work in the Studio:

It has always struck me that the newly popular term, “herd immunity”, is rather comical, transforming (in my mind) humans into animals. I wrestled with a way to convey this idea with a painting. Dr. Anthony Fauci is so strongly associated with Covid-19, that I wanted to include his image in the painting, but I was uncertain about what kind of animals to include. I thought of the running of the bulls in Spain and the herds of buffalo out west. Finally, I chose sheep, who are known to follow each other anywhere. Why not have the sheep follow Fauci to herd immunity? The resulting painting is shown here. As I worked on the piece, the idea of illustration versus fine art percolated in my head.