Observation and Humor

 Humor comes from observation and Kalman is one who definitely observes her environment. A thread throughout The Principles of Uncertainty is people walking. Kalman introduces this on page 37 writing “I have a specialty of love – old people who have difficulty walking...”. Seamlessly Kalman flows throughout this chapter with profound questions juxtaposed with humorous comments like “soon enough it will be me struggling (valiantly?) to walk...” (42). Later, beginning on page 199, Kalman presents photographs of pedestrians in New York City. The sudden inclusion of photographs interrupts the drawings and captions we have read prior, however a particularly impactful composition is of the woman with the bow because on the left page is the photograph and on the right is Kalman’s drawing of that very photograph. This perfectly represents how Kalman’s art and humor stems from everyday observations and how that makes it more impactful and real.  

Another example of humor and observation comes in the form of distraction. On page 133 Kalman writes, “we could speak about the meaning of life...I suggest we go to Paris instead” which sums up her worldly perspective. The following drawings and captions capture a multitude of experiences and observations that easily could be overlooked, but Kalman’s presentation and organization mold them into a narrative. A personal favorite sequence of mine is the bad dream malaise that she writes and draws about. Kalman’s humorous description paired with life experiences like “the pinky pink paté that totally wipes out the last vestige of malaise” again goes to show Kalman’s unique view of her world. And as unique as her art is, as a reader/viewer we can relate to the feeling of feeling “off” after a bad dream and how that will affect you for a bit and eventually it just goes away.  

There is something so impactful about Kalman’s breathtaking art juxtaposed with art that is less refined juxtaposed with chicken scratch writing that is “humorous” or at least whimsical. Through observation and reflection, Kalman draws the reader into her world and makes them laugh or at least chuckle.