The Brooklyn-born comic-book artist Will Eisner is widely recognized for his contributions to American comic art. Considered the father of the graphic novel, Eisner developed a new style of visual narration he referred to as sequential art, a form of graphic storytelling that he often used for educational purposes. Eisner attended the Art Students League in New York before immersing himself in the world of comics. Central to Eisner’s early career was The Spirit, the first comic-book insert created for Sunday newspapers. Eisner later devoted his time to creating educational comics with his company, the American Visual Corporation. In 2002, the artist received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Federation for Jewish Culture. The Eisner Award, the comic industry’s most prestigious prize, bears his name.
The Spirit was launched in 1940 as a special supplement for newspapers, designed to help them compete with the crime and superhero comic magazines, which were then wildly popular. It ran as a…
Al Hirschfeld was most famous for his caricatures of actors, musicians, and other figures from the arts and public life. He himself preferred to be known as a “characterist.” After the birth of his…
This tombstone of Joel ben Ze’ev, who died in 1744, is topped with a carving of an eagle. Winged griffins and eagles symbolize God’s power. Only the wealthy could afford stone markers before the…