The Manly Art Of Self Defense

The Manly Art of Self Defense is clearly one of Dr. Seuss’s appropriately satiric works.
Revealing his “gentlemanly” side,Ted Geisel portrays the cultured expression of masculinity, which is acquired through a balanced regimen of intellectual and physical muscularity. The wonderfully erudite expression on the boy’s face suggests “the manly art of self defense,” while the cat’s look of surprise suggests the boy is out of his mind. Seuss’s take on boxing places it squarely as a “noble art” rather than a martial art.

For over 60 years, Dr. Seuss’s illustrations brought a visual realization to his fantastic and imaginary worlds. However, his artistic talent went far beyond the printed page, as in his Secret Art works – the paintings and sculptures he did at night for himself that he rarely exhibited during his lifetime. Seuss always dreamed of sharing these works with his fans and had entrusted his wife, Audrey, to carry out his wishes once he was gone. Audrey, too, believed the work deserved further recognition and that Ted himself would one day be evaluated not only as an author, but also as an artist in his own right.