Paper #2- First Draft

The New Yorker issue with the “Paint by Pixels” cover by Harry Bliss represents the cultural and artsy industries in New York City. This magazine showcases literary works of writers such as short stories and essays, whether they are famous or not. Readers of The New Yorker would generally be aspiring authors, journalists, artists, and tourists. “Paint by Pixels” shows an art piece on display with two people viewing it, and one of the characters was inspired enough to take a picture of it. “Paint by Pixels” acts as a self-portrait of The New Yorker and its audience because readers are inspired from the work found within the magazine. My cover shows the relationship between inspirations from an external source.

“Paint by Pixels” shows two people admiring an art piece in a gallery. The art piece is an abstract painting of splashed colors on a canvas. The colors are vibrant and do not have any specific pattern. The two characters have been drawn with their backs toward the reader, so it is impossible to see their faces and emotions. The man on “Paint by Pixels” has taken a photo of the artwork with his camera. Harry Bliss interestingly created the cover with the man and woman reviewing the photograph.

Things in life can be interpreted in many ways. From “Paint by Pixels,” we can see this in the mix of colors in the artwork. The photograph on the camera may indicate that the two characters are tourists because the art piece has a significance to the two characters that would not nearly have the same effect on any other individual. “Paint by Pixels” also reveals the theory that not one idea is less important that another. We can see this theory in the artwork itself, because not one color overpowers the next. The smaller picture in the camera can represent how we view something without actually seeing the whole picture right in front of us.

Harry Bliss’ New Yorker covers reveal a sense of togetherness, a diverse community among the people, and an idea of a picture much larger than we realize. Harry creates a New York portrait of a strong group of people that unite for almost any circumstance. There are many different types of people in New York city, and through Harry’s covers we can see that he indicates this fact through the emotions and actions that his characters portray. Through his covers, Harry shows that there are many different neighborhoods in New York City, but in “The Skyline”, there is only just one big city.