Wood Canvas. A Matching Verse.

Awesome Lawson.

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BlOGUS blog presents ‘Awesome Lawson.’ !

 

Lawson Wood canvas. With a matching verse.
From 'Shuktara', Boishaakh 1356.

Holidays would be so dull

Without a Puja Annual.

Authors, artists strove to please

Bengal awaited its release.

The Dev Sahitya annual featured

Cheeky chimps. A Stone Age creature.

Coupled with these pix so jolly

Appeared a rhyme – in Bengali.

'Notun Aabishkar',
A Lawson Wood cartoon ('Sole Catch') with a matching poem by Sunirmal Basu,
From the Dev Sahitya Kutir annual 'Debaalay', 1955.
Wood's "Gran'pop" chimpanzee was later dubbed 'Shimpu' in Bengali.

Comical. Life-like. Straight to the heart.

Kids loved the English painter’s art.

Sparkling shades – oh so swell !

But did they know his name as well ?

Dead right dude !

He was Lawson Wood.

Lawson Wood (1878 - 1957).

The coolest combo, brush  and  ink  –

Wood reprint. Plus poem in sync.

A nice device to entice the reader

The ‘Shuktara’ mag – it followed our leader.

Starting from the 40s end

A new version of the Wood / rhyme trend

Off and on were often seen

In the infant magazine.

With preservation as our aim

BlOGUS shows a couple of them.

Lawson Wood's classic signature.

Awesome good

Was Lawson Wood !

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From the 'Shuktara' magazine, Year II (1949 - 1950), also published by Dev Sahitya Kutir -

1. 'Lukochuri', 'Shuktara', Phaalgun 1355 issue.

Artist : Lawson Wood.

Poet : Kumari Tapatirani.

This cat & mouse image also appears in a postcard from 1933.

'Lukochuri' ('Hide-and-Seek'),
'Shuktara', Phaalgun 1355 issue.
Artist : Lawson Wood.

'Lukochuri' ('Hide-and-Seek'),
'Shuktara', Phaalgun 1355 issue.
Poet : Kumari Tapatirani.

2. 'Buddhimaaner Chnaai', 'Shuktara', Boishaakh 1356 issue.

Artist : Lawson Wood.

Poet : Sree Prabir Kumar.

'Buddhimaaner Chnaai' ('The Brainiest One'),
'Shuktara', Boishaakh 1356 issue.
Artist : Lawson Wood.

'Buddhimaaner Chnaai' ('The Brainiest One'),
'Shuktara', Boishaakh 1356 issue.
Poet : Sree Prabir Kumar.

3. 'Ebaar Moraa Shobhyo Hawbo !', 'Shuktara', Boishaakh 1356 issue.

Artist : Lawson Wood.

Poet : Kumari Arati Ghosh.

'Ebaar Moraa Shobhyo Hawbo !' ('We'll be Civilised Now'),
'Shuktara', Kaartick 1356 issue.
Artist : Lawson Wood.

'Ebaar Moraa Shobhyo Hawbo !' ('We'll be Civilised now'),
'Shuktara', Kaartick 1356 issue.
Poet : Kumari Arati Ghosh.

4. 'Rooper Baahar', 'Shuktara', Maagh 1356 issue.

Artist : Lawson Wood.

Poet : Kumari Arati Debi.

This image ('The Beauty Contest') first appeared in 'The Sketch', May 16, 1934.
The Dev Sahitya Kutir annual 'Anjali' (1946) also featured this illustration.
There, the matching rhyme was Sunirmal Basu's 'Ke Beshi Shundar' ('Who's the Fairest ?').

'Rooper Baahar' ('The Beauties'),
'Shuktara', Maagh 1356 issue.
Artist : Lawson Wood.

'Rooper Baahar' ('The Beauties'),
'Shuktara', Maagh 1356 issue.
Poet : Kumari Arati Debi.

5. 'Chnirey-Chyaptaa', 'Shuktara', Choitro 1356 issue.

Artist : Lawson Wood.

Poet : Sree Prabir Kumar.

This image ('A Forced Landing') also appeared in a 1936 Catawba Oil Company calendar.

'Chnirey-Chyaptaa' ('Squashed'),
'Shuktara', Choitro 1356 issue.
Artist : Lawson Wood.

'Chnirey-Chyaptaa' ('Squashed'),
'Shuktara', Choitro 1356 issue.
Poet : Sree Prabir Kumar.

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Clarence Lawson Wood (1878 - 1957). Ace Artist. Animal Activist.

Read more on the universally adored creator of chimps and cave critters - here.

Post-1962, Dev Sahitya Kutir Puja annuals continued the rhymed exploits of Shimpu. 

Based on Wood's Gran'pop monkey, minus original Lawson reprints.

Colour plates, mostly by versatile illustrator Narayan Debnath, took their place.

Refer to 'Narayan Debnath : Shimpur Chhobi' (from 'Comics O Graphics', October 2015)
for the graphic evolution of Shimpu.

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