Judge, 1927-03-26 · page 9 of 36
Judge — March 26, 1927 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis for Modern Readers This is a romantic satire about class and aesthetic pretension. A young man becomes infatuated with a woman at an art museum, convinced she shares his refined artistic sensibility as she gazes reverently at sculptures. He works up courage to approach her, imagining their shared "esoteric" passion will overcome social convention. The joke: When he finally speaks to her, she reveals she's not an art lover at all—she's simply impressed that the statues are so clean ("They ain't a speck of dust"). The satire mocks both the young man's romantic delusions and the gap between working-class practicality and upper-class artistic pretension. His companion's dismissive "What th' 'ell?" underscores how absurd the whole scenario appears to ordinary people. The cartoons suggest that shared "culture" often masks fundamental class and educational differences in early 20th-century America.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE His Ideal girl was exquisite. The young man was hypnotized by her The beauty he followed discre as her at a distance through the long of the Art Institute. She was he decided. At last! His Ideal—the girl of his dreams! She stopped from time to time before great pieces of art and re garded them intently. Always, the young man was just behind gallerie adorable, her — fascinated. Such grace, such a figure! Her features de ute—perfect. Nothing in the great Art Institute could her breathless beauty. Finally the girl stopped before a particularly marvelous bit of sculpture and stood motionless, her eyes riveted on the work of some great master, long since de parted. With a gentle touch— almost a reverent touch — she caressed the exquisite marble figure, then drew her hand away as if she had committed an offense 2 the tre A gic spell seemed to weave itself around the girl and that great match rare sure, work of art. The young man stood respeetfully behind her, quivering with suppressed emo- tion. Anvist—Ah, what feeling! What action! What Companton—IVhat th’ ’ell? esoteric What harmony! What soul! cosmic motion! What rhythm! He had met lovely women before, but never until this ment had he seen one who « bined an exquisite personal charm with that esthetic sense he so admired. Suddenly a terrifie flame ig- nited in the young man’s heart he beeame overpowered by the desire to meet. this inating beauty. Convention? By gad. their mutual interest in art would fascir compensate for lack of conven tion! His heart pounding against his ribs, he approached her quict- ly, lest he break the spell that scemed to envelop them, At last he stood at her side. All the world stopped—the moment was his. “Wonderful . . . isn’t it?” he whispered, gazing rapturously at the beauty The girl turned slowly and 1 at him. h.” she id, “how do they do it?) They ain’t a speck of dust on any statute in the blamed place.” —Gerney Wintiams, Je. whole comicbooks.com