Message of the Day: Personal Growth, Human Rights, Economic Opportunity, War, Hunger, Disease, Population, Environment
The Year in Illustration, The New York Times, Dec. 30, 2018
Its New Year’s Eve 2018.
We end the year and look back at it with the Editor’s Pick from yesterday’s Sunday New York Times, the last December day with a December day to follow.
Something different to be sure. And incredibly compelling. Illustrations accompanying articles throughout the year.
An ancient pursuit in a new incarnation of art imititating life, introducing us to some of the best writing throughout this (one more) extraordinary year since the end of civilization as we knew it.
As always, it ranges from the shallow to the sublime, one-dimensional to multi-dimenational, in some ways another preview of a much worse vanity of the bonfires than ever before, perhaps to consume us all when the fire next time becomes the fire this time.
But more often than not, at least some actual thinking about things needing thinking about.
Take it all in.
Editor’s Pick, Sunday New York Times, December 30, 2018:
2018: The Year In Illustration
WE CALL ON ILLUSTRATORS late at night, in the early morning and on deadline. The subjects are complex: #MeToo, the immigration debate, climate change. We ask them to address these topics with sensitivity, wit and feeling — to add fresh perspective and avoid cliché. Also, “Can you send a sketch in a few hours?”
See you next year.
WE CALL ON ILLUSTRATORS late at night, in the early morning and on deadline. The subjects are complex: #MeToo, the immigration debate, climate change. We ask them to address these topics with sensitivity, wit and feeling — to add fresh perspective and avoid cliché. Also, “Can you send a sketch in a few hours?”
We call on them because, at a time when the news cycle can feel relentless and overwhelming, these images make a different kind of impact: conveying emotion, creating space for thought, adding depth to subjects that may feel at once both too complex and overly familiar.
From the thousands of illustrations that appeared in print and online in The New York Times this year, here are some of the most notable: the ones that surprised us, that made us feel something, that made us laugh — the ones that made us pause a moment longer than we might have on a busy day in 2018.
Looking Back at the Economic Crash of 2008
Artist: Tyler Comrie
“We needed an image that could loudly declare that the damage from the ’08 financial crisis was lasting and ongoing. Odds are decent that this illustration will still be relevant in 100 years.” — Matt Dorfman, art director
Artist: Angie Wang
Artist: Angie Wang
Artist: Angie Wang
Suicides Have Increased. Is This an Existential Crisis?
Artist: Yann Kebbi
I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration
Artist: Delcan & Co
“How to approach a confidential text that could not be shared with the artist in advance? Pablo’s response embodied the precariousness of a divided administration struggling to rein in its chaotic leader, with the fate of the American experiment on the line.” — Jim Datz, art director
Need a Politics Cleanse? Go Ahead and Treat Yourself.
Artist: Tim Lahan
“A cathartic image that gets the tiny details of human expression exactly right. Tim packs a lot of specificity into what appear at first to be a few quick, simple strokes of the digital pen.” — Jim Datz, art director
Sloane Stevens and the Art of Defending
Artist: Chris Buzelli
Artist: Kiersten Essenpreis
“Kiersten is a fountain of great ideas. This ominous Sunday Review cover had so many layers.” — Hannah K. Lee, art director
Democracy at Risk
Artist: Eleni Kalorkoti
Using Wildfires as an Excuse to Plunder Forests
Artist: Anders Nilsen
“Anders rendered the California fires in stark colors — including a visual punchline that comments on the impact of a ‘solution’ that would deliver the opposite of its intended results.” — Jim Datz, art director
The Worst Drug Crisis in American History
Artist: Golden Cosmos
“Doris and Daniel were tasked with illustrating a book about fracking — and also a book about water contamination — and also a book about opioids. They captured all of it with empathy and grace. It’s one of the best illustrations I’ve ever commissioned.” — Matt Dorfman, art director
The New American Dream Home Is One You Never Have to Leave
Artist: Igor Bastidas
“A simply animated Droste effect would have satisfied anyone else — but no, not Igor. The wonderful details bring this hypnotic animation to life.” — Nathan Huang, art director
Artist: Robert Beatty
Artist: Joohee Yoon
How to Clean the Most Common Cat Messes
Artist: Pablo Rochat
“Pablo’s approach to generating concepts always involves delight and humor. His pieces are guaranteed to make me smile.” — Jaspal Riyait, art director
The New York Yankees Are a Moral Abomination
Artist: Brandon Celi
There Is Nothing More All-American Than the Veggie Burger
Artist: Hudson Christie
Artist: Ben Wiseman
“Ben devised a bold visual metaphor to accompany Frank Bruni’s moving piece. It’s simultaneously optimistic and interrogative — just like the writing.” — Jim Datz, art director
Artist: Johanna Goodman
“Johanna is an accomplished collagist whose ongoing ‘Imaginary Beings’ series remains wedged in my mind as something truly special. A Sunday Review cover that focused on women’s solidarity, advocacy and protest seemed the perfect moment to adapt it for maximum impact.” — Jim Datz, art director
13 Political Secrets People Kept From Family and Friends. What’s Yours?
Artist: Abbey Lossing
“2018 was marked by activism, marches and political protests — but not everyone was so inspired. Abbey perfectly captures the feeling of sitting out on the sidelines.” — Agnes Lee, art director
Down With the Year of the Woman
Artist: Kimberly Lum
13 Political Secrets People Kept From Family and Friends. What’s Yours?
Artist: Lilli Carré
“Lilli’s incredible animation gets at the disillusionment some felt around this election cycle. ‘I don’t feel like my vote makes a difference,’ one reader said.” — Agnes Lee, art director
What 18 Looks Like Around the World — Through Girls’ Eyes
Artist: Tracy Ma
Artist: Mikel Jaso
“Mikel is a master of humorous juxtapositions, and this image was no exception — a visual shorthand for the headline that tells the whole story without needing words at all.” — Jim Datz, art director
‘We Are Ready to Die.’ Five North Korean Defectors Who Never Made It.
Artist: Agnes Lee
“By using Google Maps as reference, Agnes was able to recreate the area around the border — and perhaps also to shed light on what these North Korean defectors had to endure.” — Antonio de Luca, art director
He Can’t Remember His Name. Maybe He Doesn’t Want To?
Artist: Eleanor Taylor
The New Radicalization of the Internet
Artist: Woody Harrington
“Woody illustrated one of the most hotly debated topics of 2018: how social media feeds ‘right-wing extremism.’ It’s a brilliant observation on an issue that must be handled with care.” — Sarah Williamson, art director
Of Interest: Noteworthy Facts From Today’s Paper
Artist: Nishant Choksi
“These are part of a daily illustration series that runs alongside facts from the day’s paper. Nishant’s approach elevated these by fully integrating them into the architecture of the page — and he makes it look easy too.” — Andrew Sondern, art director
Artist: La Boca
“We weren’t even safe from squirrels this year.” — Matt Dorfman, art director
Artist: La Boca
Artist: La Boca
Letter of Recommendation: Escape Rooms
Artist: Armando Veve
Must Science Conflict With Spirituality?
Artist: Chloé Poizat
“For a book of essays that reconcile spirituality and science, Chloé performed her signature miracle, making something ineffable look obvious.” — Matt Dorfman, art director
Far From Home, a Safe Space in Time
Artist: Jon Han
Diary of a Song: Watch Kacey Musgraves Turn Country Music Psychedelic
Artist: Eden Weingart
“LSD is one hell of a drug.” — Antonio de Luca, art director
Letter of Recommendation: Norman Doors
Artist: Max Guther
Artist: Christoph Niemann
“In Michael Pollan’s story about mainstreaming the use of psychedelic drugs to treat mental disorders, he describes his own experience of taking psilocybin. We decided to have some fun with that idea on our cover. Christoph’s trippy image of Pollan plays with the viewer’s visual perceptions.” — Gail Bichler, art director
Is Technology Harming Teenagers?
Artist: Erik Carter
When the Robot Doesn’t See Dark Skin
Artist: Claire Merchlinsky
“Claire’s work on this project was conceptually on the mark — but it was also rendered in a tactile medium that felt anything but digital. I appreciated the approach as an alternative to more typical visual clichés.” — Jim Datz, art director
The Flourishing Business of Fake YouTube Views
Artist: Adam Ferriss
“This artwork comes to life through playful interaction. Adam experimented with composition, frame rate and movement to create this exciting feedback effect. (On desktop, move your mouse to interact with the illustration. On mobile, tilt your phone.)” — Antonio de Luca, art director
The G.O.P. Is a Boys’ Club. This Woman Is Trying to Change That.
Artist: Andrea D’Aquino
“Effortlessness and simplicity are the marks of a professional illustrator. Andrea’s image of the Republican Party’s gender gap is at once subtle and stunning.” — Sarah Williamson, art director
There’s a Stress Gap Between Men and Women. Here’s Why It’s Important.
Artist: Till Lauer
Steven Pinker Continues to See the Glass Half Full
Artist: Gabriel Alcala
“This piece illustrated a review of two books that insisted that human life is safer, healthier, longer, less violent, more prosperous, more tolerant and more fulfilling now than ever before (with statistics and data to back). Gabriel’s work nods to that perspective while winking at the ample evidence to the contrary.” — Matt Dorfman, art director
The Left Shouldn’t Be Too Proud to Meme
Artist: Sally Thurer
“When Sally’s sketches arrived, one stood out as a smart meta-summation of the text — but also a bit of a dare. As in: Should we really go there? Ultimately we rallied behind the image; we loved how it slipped incisive commentary between laugh lines.” — Jim Datz, art director
Why Do You Keep Dreaming You Forgot Your Pants? It’s Science
Artist: Cristina Daura
How to Take Charge of Your Health Care
Artist: Pete Gamlen
Style on the Street
Artist: Henning Wagenbreth
The Animal Issue
Artist: Jared Muralt
‘I Am Going to Die if I Keep Living the Way I Am.’ She Was Right.
Artist: Dadu Shin
Artist: Josh Cochran
Taxpayers Always Lose Industry’s Shell Game With Jobs
Artist: Cathryn Virginia
“Cathryn’s illustration sums up Trump-era capitalism and corporate greed. A perfectly modern take on the second Gilded Age.” — Sarah Williamson, art director
When Having a Child Doesn’t Make You Happy
Artist: Jordan Bruner
Rachel Kushner’s ‘The Mars Room’ Offers a Blackly Comic Take on Prison Life
Artist: Wesley Allsbrook
“In illustrating one of the most talked about books of the year, Wesley had to capture the despair and bitterness of life in a women’s prison. This art looks like it was scratched onto the wall of a cell.” — Matt Dorfman, art director
Who Has Innocent Syrians’ Blood on Their Hands?
Artist: Anthony Russo
“We needed an image that conveyed the chaos and horror happening in Syria. Anthony’s solution evokes Picasso’s ‘Guernica.’” — Hannah K. Lee, art director
I Have Post-Brokeness Stress Disorder
Artist: Jonathan Djob Nkondo
The Plot to Subvert an Election
Artist: Matthieu Bourel, from a photograph by the Kremlin
“Matthieu’s collage was a bold analog solution for an investigation that focused on digital distortion and Russian meddling in the 2016 election.” — Fred Bierman, Wayne Kamidoi and Andrew Sondern, art directors
Trump Wants a Big Parade. It Would Be a Big Mistake.
Artist: Alex Nabaum
Artist: Erica Gorochow and Tom McCarten
Is Trump Warping Our Sense of Time?
Artist: Braulio Amado
Selected Opinion pages
Artist: James Yang, Mike McQuade, Brian Stauffer, Harry Campbell, Matt Chase, Lauren Simkin Berke, Julianna Brion
“Some of the best illustrations we’ve seen this year used the entire page to make an impact.” — Jim Datz and Hannah K. Lee, art directors
Why ‘Black Panther’ Is a Defining Moment for Black America
Artist: Najeebah Al-Ghadban
Letter of Recommendation: Airport Layovers
Artist: Manshen Lo
Gaming Out a Chance at Motherhood — Later
Artist: Brian Rea, with animation by Delcan & Company
Artist: Alexander Glandien
“Alexander’s unconventional approach to image-making served him well for this piece on onomastics — the study of how our names shape the people we become.” — Hannah K. Lee, art director
Artist: Alexis Beauclair
Artist: Jillian Tamaki
“When Jillian sent in her final for this, my first thought was: ‘I’m getting fired.’ My second thought was: ‘Thank you.’ Looking at it for a few seconds longer, I got a little emotional at my desk. It’s so joyful and relaxed and celebratory — everything our sexual hang-ups and consequent politics are not.” — Matt Dorfman, art director
Two Novels Trace Parallels Between Past and Present, or Create Them
Artist: Sophy Hollington
Jenna Wortham’s All-Womxn Playlist
Artist: Molly Fairhurst
The Supreme Court Sticks It to Workers, Again
Artist: Monica Ramos
“Monica offered a fresh take on corporations sticking it to workers. It reminds me of a Sonia Delaunay painting gone awry.” — Sarah Williamson
Warriors and Cavs Star in N.B.A.’s Version of Groundhog Day
Artist: Daniel Zakroczemski
FIFA Prepares for a Post-Trump World
Artist: Leif Parsons
“Humor is great tool when imagining the future.” — Antonio de Luca, art director
Preventive Care Saves Money? Sorry, It’s Too Good to Be True
Artist: Sarah Mazzetti
“Sarah created a beautiful and unique twist on X-ray imagery to accompany an article about preventative care and its benefits.” — Agnes Lee, art director
New York City Can Protect Tenants Now
Artist: Eleanor Davis
“When I first saw Eleanor’s sketch, a voice in my head howled, Arooooo!” — Sarah Williamson, art director
Letter of Recommendation: Women’s Clothing
Artist: Sara Andreasson
What’s Life Like After Depression? Surprisingly, Little Is Known
Artist: Scott Menchin
“I loved the simplicity, directness and light-hearted quality of this illustration. Scott gave us a different way of looking at a deeply human condition.” — Catherine Gilmore-Barnes, art director
James Frey Has Written His First Adult Novel in a Decade
Artist: Na Kim
“This novel asked us to empathize with the problems of a successful screenwriter pining for an old flame. This being the year 2018, Na considered the pain of the successful white male — and responded accordingly.” — Matt Dorfman, art director
ART DIRECTORS: GAIL BICHLER, JOSH CRUTCHMER, JOHN J. CUSTER, JIM DATZ, ANTONIO DE LUCA, ALICIA DESANTIS, MATT DORFMAN, CATHERINE GILMORE-BARNES, BEN GRANDGENETT, NATHAN HUANG, AGNES LEE, HANNAH K. LEE, TRACY MA, JASPAL RIYAIT, ANDREW SONDERN, MATT WILLEY, SARAH WILLIAMSON, ANDREA ZAGATA
PRODUCED BY GRAY BELTRAN, JIM DATZ, ANTONIO DE LUCA, ALICIA DESANTIS, NATHAN HUANG, HANNAH K. LEE, ANDREW ROSSBACK AND SARAH WILLIAMSON