Winsor McCay

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Winsor McCay (1906)
Comics page from Little Nemo

Zenas Winsor McCay (born September 26, 1871 in Spring Lake , Michigan , † July 26, 1934 in Brooklyn , New York ) was one of the most famous American caricaturists and cartoonists of the early 20th century and a pioneer of early animation .

life and work

His parents were from Canada , but he says he was born in Spring Lake, Michigan. In addition to his work as a political cartoonist for daily newspapers and as a graphic artist in advertising, McCay drew several comic series, the best known were Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend ("The strange dreams of the gourmet who only ate cheese toast") and Little Nemo in Slumberland .

In addition to his work, McCay experimented with animation techniques and created a number of short animated films based on his comics. According to his own statement, his son Robert brought a flip book home with him around 1909 and thus encouraged his father to occupy himself with moving images. His best-known work is Gertie the Dinosaur from 1914. McCay himself presented the twelve-minute work on theater stages. He stood in front of the screen, spoke to the dinosaur and even threw food to the cartoon character. With the film he went on tour through the USA for half a year.

McCay drew his early cartoons solely on sheets of paper. Only the last projects were realized with the help of assistants and animated films. The sporadically produced films emerged from predominantly personal, non-commercial interests. One film clearly stands out from these funny films: The Sinking of the Lusitania describes the attack by a German submarine on the steamer RMS Lusitania and is propaganda that was intended to induce the United States to enter the First World War . After entering the war, he created posters for Liberty Bonds (war bonds).

McCay died of a brain hemorrhage in 1934 .

In his honor, artists who have made a name for themselves in the field of animation film are honored with the Winsor McCay Award for their life's work at the annual Annie Awards .

effect

The Italian comic artist Vittorio Giardino , who won the Harvey Award and was inspired by McCay, created his erotic comic strip Little Ego based on Little Nemo .

comics

  • Little Sammy Sneeze (1904-1906)
  • Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (1904-1913)
  • The Story of Hungry Henrietta (1905)
  • A Pilgrim's Progress (1905-1910)
  • Little Nemo in Slumberland (1905-1914)
  • Poor Jake (1909-1911)

Filmography

Scene from the animated film Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)
The Centaurs (1921)
  • 1911: Little Nemo aka Winsor McCay, the Famous Cartoonist of the NY Herald and His Moving Comics
  • 1912: How a Mosquito Operates
  • 1914: Gertie the Dinosaur
  • 1918: The Sinking of the Lusitania
  • 1921: The Dream of a Rarebit Fiend
  • 1921: Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: The Pet
  • 1921: Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: The Flying House
  • 1921: Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: Bug Vaudeville
  • 1921: Gertie on tour
  • 1921: Flip's Circus
  • 1921: The Centaurs
  • 1922: The Midsummer's Nightmare

Awards

  • 1974 - Annie Award : Received the Winsor McCay Award for life's work

literature

Exhibitions

  • 2012: Winsor McCay - comics, films, dreams , traveling exhibition

Web links

Commons : Winsor McCay  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The exact date of birth is unknown. McCay himself stated in 1871, as did an obituary in the New York Times . On his gravestone, however, is indicated as 1869 (see also Mary Sayre Haverstock et al .: Artists in Ohio, 1787–1900: A Biographical Dictionary. Kent State University Press 2000, ISBN 978-0-87338-616-6 , p. 595). Further sources, u. a. a census, dated 1867.
personal data
SURNAME McCay, Winsor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McCay, Zenas Winsor
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American cartoonist and comic artist
DATE OF BIRTH September 26, 1871
PLACE OF BIRTH Spring Lake, Michigan , United States
DATE OF DEATH July 26, 1934
Place of death Brooklyn , New York, United States