Life is Full of Dilemmas. It’s how you
navigate them that matters most.
A LARGE FAMILY OF DILEMMAS
Life is a great balancing act between what we should do and what we want to do…. Between how far we get stuck in a jam and how long we take to find our way out…. Between turning left or right, forward or back.
We all face large and small dilemmas nearly every day. Life’s beauty is in the collective outcomes of such precarious situations, with each experience bringing us closer to knowing who we are and what we hope to become. As such, encountering “a large family of dilemmas” throughout our years seems the best path to a life well lived.
A Large Family of Dilemmas
Serigraph on Archival Canvas
25”w x 35.5”h
Limited Edition of 850 Arabic Numbers, 99 Patrons’ Collection prints,
155 Collaborators’ Proofs, 5 Hors d' Commerce, 2 Printer's Proofs
A Large Family of Dilemmas – The Paris Edition
When Ted Gesiel (aka Dr. Seuss) arrived in Paris in 1926, the burgeoning art scene included illustrated French Posters used as advertisements throughout the city. Artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec, Chéret and many others had already become well known and their work was highly visible on the streets of Paris.
In homage to that moment and specifically to Ted’s Parisian experience (see below), The Paris Edition has been created in an oversized format similar to the original French Posters of the 1920’s.
A Large Family of Dilemmas / Paris Edition
Pigment Print on Archival Canvas
37”w x 52”h
Limited Edition of 195 Arabic Numbers
55 Collaborators’ Proofs, 5 Hors d' Commerce, 2 Printer's Proofs
Dr. Seuss’s Parisian Dilemma
Ted Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, was no stranger to dilemmas and learned early how formidable they can be. In 1926, while attending Oxford University, Ted was a wayward student feeling as if he didn’t belong. He wrestled deeply with the decision to stay in school or travel to Paris and see the world. He chose the latter despite knowing it would be against his father’s wishes.
Ted Geisel at Oxford University circa 1926.
“Many believe that without this exposure to Paris and its exploding art scene, we would not have Dr. Seuss in the way we know him today.”
Ted would go on to explore Paris and encounter what was the epicenter of the 1920’s art world. Surrealists were fresh at work alongside the old Impressionist guard and Ted was there to soak it all in. Many believe that without this exposure to Paris and its exploding art scene, we would not have Dr. Seuss in the way we know him today
The PaintinG
In 1933, Ted revisited the Oxford / Paris dilemma in a stunning visual project. He created an artwork full of Seussian inspiration and conundrums we have come to expect from Dr. Seuss.
“A large family of Dilemmas, the assorted horns of which the wayward student finds himself on” appeared in the October 1933 issue of University Magazine. Here, twenty-six characters alternately intimidate, ignore, admire, cheer on, and hold aloft the wayward student who, in facing this dilemma, is literally flying by the seat of his pants.
“While many of his most poignant and important messages were delivered across bold black and white paintings throughout his career, the irony here is that a dilemma is never black and white.”
More Dilemmas in Dr. Seuss’s Work
The Dilemma Fish:
As if one of the character’s from the painting has come to life, Ted invites us to meet The Dilemma Fish, at once fish and horned animal. Not only do we find ourselves in a dilemma many times, Ted suggests here that sometimes we actually feel like one inside.
Self Portrait of the Artist Worrying About His Next book:
Ted painted this extraordinary image between writing The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. At that moment, he found himself in one of the most critical tests of his career, contemplating how to follow-up the international success of the Cat in the Hat. What is most striking about this painting is how Ted portrays himself much like the Dilemma Fish, sharing the same facial expression nearly 20 years later.