Discuss how the artist’s work reflects his own life and experiences? Offer concrete examples. Why do you think the graphic novel format is suitable for the kind of work he does?
The comics that Chris Ware creates are, without a doubt, incredibly original in the sense that he does more than write words and draws pictures. He uses something he refers to as the “psychological process.” He lets his readers interpret what they might believe the comic is trying to say and have them use their imagination versus having the reader just read off what is being said to be happening. Chris talks about the comic “Peanuts” being one of his inspirations as it was indeed the first to make readers feel empathy or a sense of connection between the reader and a comic. For a period of time he stopped using words in his comics and he became “more attuned to the internal rhythms and the sounds created when one reads pictures”. He wanted his readers to feel the comic and use their minds to help them feel that sense of connection. Chris also tries to accomplish this by incorporating real-life situations where his readers can relate on another level.
For example, in the video at 23:58, he shows a mother and a daughter in a bedroom setting holding red lipstick. The comic has no words; however, I interpreted it as the mother is introducing her daughter to makeup, but she is not ready to see her daughter grow up. The mother has the genuine look of fear in her eyes, while the daughter seems not only fascinate but excited to try it on. Another example in the video, at 18:38, the comic displays an older woman in her apartment with her cat. I interpreted this as she is having a difficult time with life or having the energy to do everyday activities. She seems to be sad and struggling with something within herself. The picture shows her making the intent to do her laundry but ends up stopping and looks to be reflecting and crying afterward. She appears to be tired as she is going through her day. In the comic, it seems as she is unable to focus as if she has a lot of things going through her mind. Chris Ware does a fantastic job of making you think or interpret something based on how it makes you feel and not only feeling based on what the artist wants you to explore.