Julia Rothman's Delightful Illustrations

Julia Rothman's "Ocean's 8"

One of the most piquant details in last week’s New Yorker (April 25 issue) is Julia Rothman’s “Above & Beyond” illustration of Mmuseum 2’s “Future Aleppo” exhibit. It shows a young man (green jacket, black backpack, green track pants with a thin yellow stripe down the legs) walking a gray city sidewalk, approaching the miniscule museum with its doors open and Mohammed Qutaish’s paper miniature of the Syrian city visible in a blue square within. To my knowledge, this is the first Rothman to appear in the magazine. Recently, three of her artworks were used to illustrate newyorker.com’s “Bar Tab” columns: "Paris Blues," "Sycamore," and "Ocean's 8." My favorite is “Ocean’s 8”: rectangles of flat green, brown, tan, and buff depict foreground pool table and backdrop bowling alley together with myriad whimsical liney details (orange drink-filled glass, pink purse, black overhead lamp, orange-and-white billiard ball, cream-and-orange tank top, gray-and-orange ping pong paddles) and three active figures (pool-player, bowler, drinker). I look forward to seeing more of Rothman’s delightful work in The New Yorker. It’s inspired!