Michelle LaRosa
Paper#2
Dr. Devine
In looking at the October cover of the New Yorker made by Erik Drooker, as well as his other covers/artworks, it is clear that he is making a statement about climbing the social ladder and being above New York City itself. On top of that, he is clearly highlighting the chaos and confusion of the city. This cover, as well as his other works, really describes the New Yorker as a magazine because it pinpoints the elitist nature of the New Yorker reader. Even looking at the advertisements for fancy cars and expensive watches on the inside of the magazine show how the New Yorker is trying to make people feel like they are above everything, which Erik Drooker really captures in his artwork.
The cover has an overall blue color scheme to it. The only color that sticks out other than blue is a yellow glow that seems to come from the depths of the city. The blue parts indicate the tranquility and peacefulness of being above the city as opposed to the hot yellow glow of the chaos down below. I think Drooker chose to make it nighttime to further dictate peace, and show how the streets are bright even at night. The couple standing on top of the building is blue as well, and they are holding hands. This portrays peacefulness, romance, and happiness. In this artwork Drooker builds a contrast between peace and chaos, and he doesn’t necessarily portray the chaos as ‘bad’, but more as something to escape from time to time. Drooker insinuates through his art that by reading the New Yorker the reader will be temporarily at peace and free from the chaos, confusion, and hubbub of everyday life.
One of Drooker’s pieces of art that really struck me was called “The Maze”. It is similar to the October cover in that it is an aerial view of the city. It depicts New York City as a maze of interlocking buildings, and it shows a bird breaking free from it. I thought that was a great comparison to the New Yorker cover because the cover shows a similar image of a couple standing atop a building overlooking the city. Although “The Maze” has more of a theme of freedom and the New Yorker cover has a romantic theme, they both have the thought of breaking free from chaos. Another similar artwork I found by Drooker was a September cover he has created. The image shows yet another aerial view of the city with thousands of similar looking businessmen on stilts walking above the city. This, yet again, is a statement about being elitist/climbing a social ladder. Drooker really puts an emphasis on being above the city, which insinuates that the New Yorker reader is someone who desires to set him or herself apart from the chaos.
In all of Erik Drooker’s artworks and covers, he portrays the New Yorker reader as a normal average person who wishes to escape city life by means of art, culture, and feeling superior. The advertisements in this issue of the New Yorker are for items of luxury. For example, the back cover of the magazine is an advertisement for Breguet watches. The only boutiques advertised that carry these watches are on Madison Avenue and Beverly Hills, which are very expensive neighborhoods. This indicates that by having one of these watches, the reader will acquire status or class. This further proves the supposed elitist nature of the New Yorker reader. Another striking advertisement is one of a luxury car. One of the passages on this advertisement says ‘It’s not just luxury. It’s smarter than that.’ which signifies the New Yorker reader as even being above luxury itself. The tagline for this advertisement is ‘Nobody’s Fool’ which makes the reader feel intelligent by wanting a luxury car that is also fuel-efficient. The tagline grabs the reader by instantly making them feel like the car, as well as themselves, is a cut above the rest. All of these luxury advertisements, plus the statement made on the cover, are evidence that the New Yorker reader wants to feel elitist and superior while reading this magazine. Lastly, there is a political cartoon on the last page of the magazine that grabbed my attention. The cartoon shows a couple who have horse shaped lower bodies. The man is walking into their home out of the rain and says “Sorry I’m late. I had to give the boss a ride home.” This struck me as a funny allusion to the chaos of everyday life that most people deal with, such as sucking up to one’s boss. This depicts the chaos of city living, and allows the reader to reflect on it in a humorous fashion. By doing this, the New Yorker is not only acknowledging everyday life, but they are also making it seem beneath the reader in a sense.
By putting together the statement made by Drooker on the front cover with the advertisements and cartoons inside the magazine, this issue of the New Yorker clearly paints a picture of escaping from city life. Drooker doesn’t depict city life as wrong or bad, but more as something that people should take a break from. Not only this, but the New Yorker also makes the reader feel above it all and that they deserve status and luxury. This makes the New Yorker less of a magazine, and more of a world to pull the readers into that is less tumultuous than their actual lives.
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