When I first started my blog, Tuesday featured significant artists that had passed on in recent years. Now, even more recently, another master of line has passed on. Al Hirschfeld was the master of the caricature. Using a simple line as his tool, Mr. Hirschfeld was able to capture the essence of many a famous person using only a few simple gestures. His style was characterized by the use of this simple line, the bounciness and liveliness it conveyed, and the inclusion of his daughter's name, "Nina," in every new drawing. So influential was his art, that it inspired the style for the Disney animated feature, Aladdin. A whole segment in Fantasia 2000 was devoted to his style as an interpretation of Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" and as a symbol of the business of New York City life. His depiction of real-life people inspired me to train my eye to look for the distinct characteristics of real people, and his work will continue to inspire others as well. He was 99.
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