Talking It Over … with Jules Feiffer

Artist Reflects on Illustrious Career

By DANIEL FRANCIS
RICHFIELD SPRINGS

I sat at a large sketching desk in a sundrenched studio, flipping through an endless pile of sketches and illustrations.

Across the desk from me was Jules Feiffer, the man who had put these figures to paper. As I marveled at his creations, moving from one page to the next, Jules explained the idea, the meaning, behind each of the works laid out on the desk. Not because he had to; it was because he wanted to. I quickly came to learn that Jules puts careful thought into everything he works on, however long that list may be, and every stroke of his pen, pencil, and marker carries with it a story, an idea, that he wishes the audience to understand. This framework, applied to all aspects of his career, was adopted at the very beginning.

“The cultural and political story was to force a change of societal norms which, in the 50s, the years of Eisenhower, and early years of the cold war, was a time when nothing changed. You felt that, people were afraid to stay politically or socially out of a place because it might endanger them. It was our business to make trouble and point out what was going on. I saw my role from the beginning as one of those who was going to try to overthrow the government by using humor, satire and creating insights in the reader.”

Jules understood that doing so would put him in the crosshairs of critics during a chapter of American history where criticizing mainstream society and the federal government could be detrimental to his career. Going against the wishes of his mother, he persisted to voice his opinions through his work, as it was fundamental to who he was, going so far as to publish the first cartoon attacking white liberals.

“I made the choice not to make as much money as I could have. I chose to be happy. I wanted to tell the truth, my truth.”

Now, at 94 years old, this idea still rings true. Jules remains busy and is currently working on a semi-autobiographical novel which he is both writing and illustrating. He fills his days at the sketching desk, putting pen, pencil, and marker to paper recording the moments he has experienced. Jules doesn’t see this as work. He is pleased to be doing what he has always done, and believes cartoonists are “working with a lifetime of your choice and having fun at your work. Our vacation and our work are the same thing.”

Though voicing his opinions and challenging society and the current political climate remain the backbone of his career, Jules must now contend with a different kind of foe: macular degeneration, an eye disease that causes vision loss, specifically loss in the center of the field of vision.

“I can’t see properly what I am doing, and drawing, and I’m drawing it anyway. It’s as if the act of will decides what my limitations are. My need to get the work done allows me to get it done before a retreat into the disability. Without my work, I don’t believe I would be living very long. It is a necessity to keep me going,” he explained.

This, among other factors, prompted Jules and his wife, Joan—freelance writer JZ Holden—to migrate northward from their Shelter Island, New York home in the fall of 2022.

Now settled in our community, just outside Richfield Springs, Jules feels like a new man. He complained of the “cramped” working conditions of his previous home on Shelter Island, saying he didn’t feel he could do his best work there. Now he and his wife enjoy the healthier climate, the openness of their surroundings, the greenery, and the privacy afforded to them.

“I don’t like the area, I love the area. I find it magical,” he said.

During my interview with Jules, I found myself not only learning more about who he was—things you can only glean from spending time with the man himself—but also learning about life in general and how one should conduct oneself. Jules has a long resume, and one section that stands out is his teaching credentials: Yale, Stony Brook Southampton College, and Northwestern University. I was not surprised to walk away with important lessons from someone as storied and illustrious as Jules.

“All the good advice you get from people is always safe advice, meaning don’t take chances. The only time anything exciting happens creatively in life is when you start taking chances, and risking failure. Failure is a huge component of my life. Without failure, you don’t learn what… to do next. I understood that failure was one of the most valuable things that I could teach. Failure is a necessity; it teaches you fearlessness.”

Jules is a legend in the many facets of his career, and a luminary of them all. Through his cartoons, novels, illustrations, and stage plays, Jules has truly left a profound mark on the artistic community and continues to do so to this day. Parting thoughts from the wise man with the youthful spirit? “Ignore the grownups. Unlearn all the things you were taught and do what you need to do. Do what you have to do.”

About the Artist

Jules Feiffer, best known for his comics and illustrations, got his start in 1956 by contributing a comic strip to what was then a small, radical weekly newspaper published in New York City called the “Village Voice.”

Jules’ comic strip would continue for 42 years and would appear in “The Observer” (London) as well as other newspapers and periodicals in the U.S. and around the world. Subsequently, he would go on to receive numerous awards for his work, including a Pulitzer Prize for his cartoons in 1986, an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 1961, and induction into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2004.

Other notable works include his illustration of the children’s book classic, “The Phantom Toll Booth,” as well as two of his stage plays later adapted for film—“Little Murders” and “Carnal Knowledge.”

These credentials barely scratch the surface of what Jules has been able to accomplish. However, it is the 2004 Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Cartoonists Society that he cherishes most. In life, Caniff was both an inspiration and a friend to Jules, as well as an early “comic strip hero.”

“It was as proud as I’ve ever been for anything, because I loved the man, who had become my friend over the years,” Jules said.

Editor’s Note: The Cooperstown Art Association, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, will host a solo show by Jules Feiffer from April 14 through May 10 in Gallery A. Exhibit hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.