Life & Sense in the Abstract

Illustrator and children's book author, Christopher Niemann, has satirical pieces that have appeared in many different venues. Chief among these are his covers for The New Yorker, as well as, "Abstract City" which appears on the New York Times website. He has this really amazing way of telling a story. Sometimes he does it with as few words as possible or none at all, letting the images speak. Truly showing rather than telling. His pieces that appear in the Times' blog are mostly funny cartoons an interesting narrative coming together as he explores the phenomena of sleepless nights and small children that steal into your bed at the dead of night, purloining all the blankets for themselves. Funny and interesting.

His website utilizes cartoons within the navigational tools, adding a touch of the writer's personality. It's different from the usual fare thanks in large part to his higly imaginative graphics. Still there's the requisite sections, i.e. news, books, contact, and buy...but it's the galleries under the portfolio section that grabs your attention and tells you so much about the writer himself. No...really. Niemann did a sort of comic bio or confessional rather that is both fun and...well different. A wonderful mix of words and imagery that say alot about the writer. His ability to think outside the box.

Link to Gallery

Further exploration of his website and the same galleries, turns up other great pieces from his previous work with The New Yorker, American Illustration, Atlantic Monthly, and numerous other publications. Political satire. Social commentary. Out and out monkeying around. All present and accounted for.