As part of One Book, One Chicago, we're featuring a series of original essays titled Chicago Heroes: Real & Imagined! Each month through spring 2015, meet a local hero as introduced by a local author. Chicago authors will reflect on heroes from the past, present or even imagined in these new short essays. This month's essay is from Jian Ping.
Jian Ping is the author of Mulberry Child, a book about her coming of age during China’s Cultural Revolution. Mulberry Child has been developed into an award-winning documentary movie and was broadcast on national PBS. She is working on her next feature-length documentary on Art Paul, a legendary Chicago art director and artist. She also works as a consultant for bridging cultural differences between the U.S. and China, and has brokered a groundbreaking exchange program on classical music between the Chicago WFMT Radio Network and several radio stations in China. She is a contributing writer for Xinhua News (the major wire service in China), China Daily, and Asian Wisconzine, a monthly magazine in the Midwest. She teaches as an adjunct professor at DePaul University. Jian Ping obtained her bachelor's degree in English from Jilin University, China and master's degree in film and international affairs from Ohio University.
As part of the Chicago Public Library's Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Albany Park Branch presents a Mulberry Child film screening and talkback with Jian Ping on Thursday, May 28.
Art Paul: A Chicago Legend
Christie Hefner, former chairwoman and chief executive officer of Playboy Enterprises, calls him “legendary.”
Lanny Silverman, a retired art curator, says he is “one of Chicago’s better kept secrets.”
Ed Paschke, one of Chicago’s best-known artists, is quoted referring him as a “surrogate father.”
And Steven Heller, a design critic at the New York Times, credited him for creating “a forum that demolished artistic and cultural boundaries.”
He is Art Paul, a Chicagoan, mentor to countless Chicago artists, and my Chicago hero.
Paul is the founding art director of Playboy and the creator of the iconic bunny logo.
From 1953 when Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy, approached him to design the first issue of Playboy, to 1982 when he retired from the magazine to pursue his own artistic interests, Paul established Playboy as one of the most innovative magazines in design and illustration in the world. He won numerous awards for his art-directed work, nurtured and supported many local artists, and put Chicago on the map of sophisticated design and innovation.
And he is a fine artist in his own right, having created a multitude of artworks, including hundreds of what he calls “inner faces.”
Yet, apart from the design field, where he is revered, and being elected a member of the prestigious Alliance Graphique Internationale and the American Institute of Graphic Artists, honored with a professional achievement award by the Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology, elected to the Hall of Fame of the Art Directors Club, and given a special award for trademark design from the Society of Typographic Arts, most people don’t recognize his name.
I got to know Paul through his wife, Suzanne Seed, a fellow writer. Paul, in his mid-80s when I first met him, struck me as friendly, humorous and even a bit shy. He was thin, a little fragile, but spoke with a ready smile. He didn’t talk much about his past but showed me some of his work in his studio.
I was in awe when I learned that he is the man who created the bunny logo and played a critical role in the success of Playboy. He merely chuckled at my reaction, as if these achievements were not extraordinary. His nonchalant response and humble attitude intrigued me.
Paul was born and raised in Chicago in an immigrant family from Ukraine. His father passed away when he was 1, and his mother, who barely spoke English, brought him up, along with three siblings. His older brother, Norman, sparked his interest in art at a young age, and despite their struggles, his mother encouraged him in his artistic pursuits. His high school teacher submitted his artwork to a competition, resulting in his winning a scholarship at the Art Institute. But World War II broke out and he volunteered in the Army Air Corps. After the war, he was attracted to the Institute of Design, the Chicago Bauhaus known for its innovation, now part of IIT.
In 1953, Hefner approached Paul. Paul had his own studio, doing design work for clients like Marshall Fields and Abbott Labs. Hefner liked Paul’s work and hired him to be art director for a new magazine that would be called Playboy. He promised Paul freedom in design. Paul took on the magazine as an experimental outlet for his artistic vision.
Putting his philosophy of art into practice, Paul never drew a line between “high art” and “low art,” believing that “Good design principles should apply to bubble gum wrappers as well as museum posters.”
He often utilized artists to do illustrations, giving them freedom to interpret the stories, a revolution at the time when magazine illustration was considered an editor’s footnote. He guided them with the understanding and support of a fellow artist.
He suggested Playboy acquire artworks instead of just one-time rights, enabling artists to receive higher pay and Playboy to collect a wealth of top-notch artworks.
He hired many Chicago artists, including Ed Paschke, Roger Brown and Karl Wirsum, at a time when the best-known illustrators were reputed to be in New York City.
He created a team of highly innovative people at Playboy, encouraging the flow of creative ideas. The result? Having an artwork selected by Playboy was considered “the epitome of professional success,” and he was able to call on such artists as Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali and Alberto Vargas to do work for the magazine. However, he kept his door open to emerging artists, ready to extend guidance and help.
Perhaps it was his humble upbringing that made him embrace all the Midwestern values: hardworking, down to earth and friendly to others.
In 1982, at the peak of his career, he left Playboy to do his own artwork. But he never went out to promote himself or sell any of his work.
The more I learn about him, the more I feel he deserves to be better known. Last year, I decided to do a documentary film on him.
It took me a while, however, to persuade Paul to do the film project.
I have since interviewed several people who have worked with him.
“Art created a ‘free wheeling’ environment that enabled the flow of great ideas,” said Kerig Pope, a retired art director at Playboy. “It was so much fun working with him.”
“Art is different from any art director I’ve worked with,” said Bob Lostutter, a Chicago artist. “He really cared about artists.”
“Art is one of the most insightful art directors of all times,” said Bart Crosby, a Chicago designer. “He essentially created Playboy and set a style for other magazines to emulate for years.”
Paul just turned 90. Coincidentally, there has been considerable interest in his long career. The Chicago Humanities Festival recently featured a talk on him; the CODA Gallery in Palm Desert will have an exhibition of his work; and the Ukraine Museum in Chicago is planning a show of his work as well.
Apparently, Art Paul is not just my hero.
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