Date: Fri 03-Jan-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

Dana-Fradon-medieval-cartoons

Full Text:

Dana Fradon: Exploring Medieval Times With Art, Humor, and Imagination

Chivalry "included devotion to duty, fair play on the battlefield, honesty,

good manners, and bravery. Also kindness toward the weak, respect for women,

courtesy, generosity, and gentleness toward everyone. Above all, it pledged

the knight to serve God. By Saint Denis! Not bad values, even for today, eh?"

- Sir Dana: A Knight

B Y A NDREA Z IMMERMANN

It is not surprising that a producer of Kids America radio found it fit to dub

Newtown resident Dana Fradon as "Sir Dana." Although his knighthood was

neither purchased nor conferred by a king as in olden days, his radio title

delights him as much as if it were the real thing.

Well known for his New Yorker cartoons, Dana Fradon has recently focused his

talents on illustrating and writing children's books about the interesting and

exciting things that happened during Medieval times. And he has discovered it

is the most satisfying work of his career so far.

Dana studied fine art for two years at the Art Institute of Chicago, and four

years at the Art Students League in Manhattan. "But I was always cartooning,"

he says, noting that an art background in drawing, painting, and art

appreciation can only enhance one's skill in cartooning.

Pointing to a crowd scene in one of his New Yorker cartoons, he says, "For

instance, what do you do with all those hands?" An artist may be limited if he

cannot effectively and clearly show that type of detail.

Humor is honed by hanging around other people who have a keen sense of humor,

says Dana. But where his specific ideas come from, he can't say. "All you can

do is talk around how you think of ideas," he explains. "But when you're

thinking of ideas and a humorous thought passes across your mind, you have to

be ready to recognize it and pounce on it like a lion on a deer." That is why

Dana jots notes on a pad as soon as he recognizes the humorous potential in a

thought.

The artist's idea of humor is "turning words so you get a little humorous

aspect to what's being said." He says he takes his work seriously, but not

himself. "Humor is often self-deprecating."

At The New Yorker

In 1948, Dana sold his first cartoon to The New Yorker ; it was two years

before they bought a second cartoon. He then got a contract and had 40-45

cartoons accepted each year during his more than 35-year "love affair" with

the magazine.

Dana greatly enjoyed the people he worked with there, notably editors Harold

Ross, William Shawn, and original cartoon editor James Garaghty. "I not only

admired them, but loved them," says Dana. "They were clearly better men than I

was. They had a better grasp of life, of the creative process; they had

marvelous taste in the arts, were witty and charming." Dana was the last

cartoonist hired by the late Harold Ross.

During his career, Dana worked from home with the exception of a period in the

1960s when he had an office at The New Yorker . He created mostly political

cartoons for the magazine, but also sold his work to Playboy, Saturday Evening

Post, Colliers , and other major magazines; reprints of his work have appeared

in publications including Time, Forbes, and Fortune . From 1978 until 1993, he

did advertising pieces, and created cartoons only for The New Yorker .

"It is hard, hard work, but it was a ball," he admits. Each week he submitted

10 to 15 ideas the The New Yorker and usually only one would be approved. "It

was free-association. I'd just sketch them up real fast - most of it was just

junk."

But when it got down to creating a finished drawing of his original concept,

Dana spent at least a few days - sometimes a week or two - on each piece. He

uses a fine design marker and wash in rendering his cartoons.

When he left The New Yorker , he "quit in a fit of integrity," having had

creative differences of opinion with the current editor. But new venues for

his talents have proved more rewarding than he would ever have imagined.

Books For Kids

Although he has always been interested in Medieval times, it wasn't until 15

years ago that Dana seriously began to research the period. An "amateur

scholar," he has an extensive library of translated works including his major

reference, Froissart's Works , which chronicles the Hundred Years' War.

Because he considers modern historians to be "snot noses," the

author/illustrator does not read anything in this vein unless it is more than

100 years old. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one of his favorite authors, not

because of his detective or spiritual works, but for the two books he wrote

about the Medieval period. Doyle and Sir Walter Scott, both used Froissart's

as a major resource for their writings.

"I've been interested in it all my life," says Dana. "When you get a little

older, have a little more knowledge in your head, and talent, you're able to

express it."

Polite conversation at a cocktail party in New Milford led to the opportunity

to appear on WNYC radio station's "Small Things Considered" as "Sir Dana" to

answer children's questions regarding what it was like to live as a knight

during Medieval times. The callers inspired Dana to write his first children's

book, Sir Dana: A knight, As told by his trusty armor .

In the book, members of Miss Quincy's class visit a museum and, to their

astonishment, find a suit of armor can answer their many questions such as:

Could a girl be a knight? What were Sir Dana's favorite sports? Were knights

rich? Did knights have guns? Could you be small and still be a knight? If

someone was wounded in battle did anyone help? Did knights ever get scared?

Also discussed are pets, food, dragons, castles, nobility and royalty. The

5,000 word texts, surrounded by colorful watercolor illustrations reminiscent

of his black-and-white magazine cartoons, are filled with "millions" of

fascinating facts. But the purpose of his books is not to have kids memorize

information.

"Kids learn a lot and get interested - absorbed, and have to read," says Dana.

"I think I write learned tomes for kids between the ages of 7 and 12 that make

them learn and make them laugh."

Because his background and training was in fine arts, Dana easily made the

shift from drawing cartoons to watercolor illustrations. Writing text - "to

get words to fall right" - has been a little more of a challenge.

"I get all heated up when I write - I'm sure my blood pressure rises," he

laughs. "Drawing is now a little relaxing for me. Within my own capabilities,

I can get whatever effect I want."

The two books that followed Sir Dana , are The King's Fool: A Book about

Medieval and Renaissance Fools, and Harold the Herald: A Book About Heraldry ,

all published by Dutton. Each of the three children's books has won critical

acclaim and awards.

Except for the minimal use of pictures of castles, Dana creates his

characters, landscapes, animals, and costumes out of his own head. He has

memorized Medieval costumes, which he alters only if they interfere with the

"action" in an illustration. Some illustrations can take weeks to render.

"I don't really write for kids; I write for me," says Dana, who loves

research. He can reach young readers because when he writes he taps into the

part of himself that is a kid, and he never talks down to his audience.

Dana is currently working on a book about clowns that picks up where King's

Fool ends and takes the reader through the 1920s, a biography about the most

famous French knight, Sir Bertrand Du Guesclin, and a humorous novel based on

his years at The New Yorker.

Life In Newtown

Until recently, Dana divided his time between an apartment in New York and his

pre-Revolutionary War home in Newtown. Now he spends his time in Newtown,

unless travelling for research or pleasure.

He has had a home in Newtown for 41 years and has been active in the

community. He served five years on both the Board of Education and Legislative

Council and was a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. He also was active in

campaigning for Democratic candidates running for Senate, Congress, and the

Presidency. Four years ago he went to Clinton's innaugural ball, and thinks he

will have an invitation again this year. He has a daughter, Amy, who is a

singer.

When he is not drawing or researching, Dana spends his time reading, going to

movies, plays, and the opera, and visiting with friends. He walks three times

a week with other cartoonists from the area. He exhibits his original New

Yorker artwork, as well as his watercolor book illustrations.

Many of his older cartoon originals are now part of the Library of Congress.

He anticipates that his work may appear on the Internet sometime this year.