Popeye gets called a ‘heavenly man’
Our favourite sailor man has impressed a very elegant woman – a classic 1920s flapper. But once again he’s startled by the effect he has on women. By John Patrick Reynolds.
www.thecomicartwebsite.com
This screenprint uses a drawing by the artist who invented Olive Oyl and Popeye, Elzie Segar, who died in 1938.
Popeye was originally a minor character in a strip syndicated in American newspapers. It was called Thimble Theatre, and started in 1919, with Olive Oyl and her brother Caster Oyl some of the main characters. Popeye first appeared as an incidental character in 1929 and stole the show; the strip was soon named after him.
Popeye and Olive now have the status of an archetypal couple – they are obviously attracted to each other, but they often fall out and row, often bitterly. Although the characters have been around for nearly 100 years, the way they behave seems quite modern.
By the way, it was only when I started screenprinting the character that I realised that Popeye’s name refers to the fact that he only has a single eye, the left one. The right eye is always depicted as a sort of asterisk. Spinach – which became an essential part of the Popeye makeup – was not originally part of his setup. The iron-rich leaf first made an appearance in the early 1930s, when he was running away from a bull and accidentally landed in a back garden full of the stuff. He didn’t even know what it was, and had to be told.
All my screenprints are made in my studio in west London.
I print on mould-made cotton paper, which is milled in Somerset.
These screenprints are available in my standard size, 26x19cms and are £40 unframed and £70 framed.
Standard size: 26cms x 19cms. Available now.
Medium size: 48cms x 38cms. Available on request – two-week lead time. Contact jpr@thecomicartwebsite.com if you would like one.
Large size: 76cms x 56cms.Available on request – two-week lead time. Contact jpr@thecomicartwebsite.com if you would like one.
