Bob Clarke
Encyclopedia
Bob Clarke is an illustrator whose elegant line appeared in innumerable advertisements as well as MAD Magazine
. The label of the Cutty Sark bottle is his creation. Clarke was born in Mamaroneck, NY
, USA in 1926. He now resides in Seaford, Delaware.
One of Clarke's early job was as an uncredited assistant on the "Ripley's Believe It or Not" comic strip. Years later, he illustrated MAD's occasional "Believe It or Nuts!" parody. In the army, he worked for Stars and Stripes
.
Clarke was one of the artists who took up the slack after original editor Harvey Kurtzman left Mad, taking two of its three primary artists (Will Elder
and Jack Davis
) with him. Clarke was a mainstay of the magazine as it rose in circulation, being one of four general-purpose artists who took Mad through the late 50s and early 60s, the others being Wallace Wood, George Woodbridge
and Joe Orlando
. (Don Martin, Mort Drucker and Dave Berg produced more specialized topics or features.)
Of the Wood-Orlando-Woodbridge-Clarke quartet, Bob Clarke had the most cartoon-like style. This was exploited by the two circus
panorama
s that ran in Mad #41; the first depicted an old-time circus done by Wallace Wood which was a breathtakingly elaborate vision of impossible spectacle. The circus drawn by Clarke was simple and uncluttered, showing small routine acts. The point of the article was the decline of the circus, and the artistic contrast sold the premise.
Clarke's style in Mad was distinctive, showing a mastery of line and an eye for the humorous side of things. MAD editor Al Feldstein
called Clarke "a singular valuable asset to MAD... his arrival upon the scene was a godsend."
Mad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
. The label of the Cutty Sark bottle is his creation. Clarke was born in Mamaroneck, NY
Mamaroneck (town), New York
Mamaroneck is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of Mamaroneck...
, USA in 1926. He now resides in Seaford, Delaware.
One of Clarke's early job was as an uncredited assistant on the "Ripley's Believe It or Not" comic strip. Years later, he illustrated MAD's occasional "Believe It or Nuts!" parody. In the army, he worked for Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes (newspaper)
Stars and Stripes is a news source that operates from inside the United States Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. The First Amendment protection which Stars and Stripes enjoys is safeguarded by Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests,...
.
Clarke was one of the artists who took up the slack after original editor Harvey Kurtzman left Mad, taking two of its three primary artists (Will Elder
Will Elder
William Elder was an American illustrator and comic book artist who worked in numerous areas of commercial art, but is best known for a zany cartoon style that helped launch Harvey Kurtzman's Mad comic book in 1952....
and Jack Davis
Jack Davis (cartoonist)
Jack Davis is an American cartoonist and illustrator, known for his advertising art, magazine covers, film posters, record album art and numerous comic book stories...
) with him. Clarke was a mainstay of the magazine as it rose in circulation, being one of four general-purpose artists who took Mad through the late 50s and early 60s, the others being Wallace Wood, George Woodbridge
George Woodbridge
George Woodbridge was an American illustrator known for his exhaustive research and historical accuracy. He is sometimes referred to as "America's Dean of Uniform Illustration" because of his expertise in drawing military uniforms....
and Joe Orlando
Joe Orlando
Joseph Orlando was a prolific illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades...
. (Don Martin, Mort Drucker and Dave Berg produced more specialized topics or features.)
Of the Wood-Orlando-Woodbridge-Clarke quartet, Bob Clarke had the most cartoon-like style. This was exploited by the two circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
panorama
Panorama
A panorama is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film/video, or a three-dimensional model....
s that ran in Mad #41; the first depicted an old-time circus done by Wallace Wood which was a breathtakingly elaborate vision of impossible spectacle. The circus drawn by Clarke was simple and uncluttered, showing small routine acts. The point of the article was the decline of the circus, and the artistic contrast sold the premise.
Clarke's style in Mad was distinctive, showing a mastery of line and an eye for the humorous side of things. MAD editor Al Feldstein
Al Feldstein
Albert B. Feldstein is an American writer, editor, and artist, best known for his work at EC Comics and, from 1956 to 1985, as the editor of the satirical magazine Mad. Since retiring from Mad, Feldstein has concentrated on American paintings of Western wildlife...
called Clarke "a singular valuable asset to MAD... his arrival upon the scene was a godsend."