Charles Emil Ruckstuhl

Andy As I Knew Him Charles Emil Ruckstuhl

CharlesRuckstuhl is the stepson of the famous horse artist and author, C. W. Anderson. He has known'Andy' as his family called him, since 1927 when he first metCharles' mother. Charles therefore knowsAndy well enough to portray not only his genius as an artist, but also as apoet, a lover of music, and an expert horseman. This book is unusual in that it is not only a biography, but also a booknot only of Andy's poetry, but also a compendium of his never-publishedpen-and-ink and pencil drawings, especially of trees that he loved for theirnatural geometry and design rhythm. Thisbook also delightfully shows his sense of humor back in the 1926-1934 era whenhis cartoons were published in the New Yorker whose staff has generouslyprovided Mr. Ruckstuhl with copies of his early work for them. Additionally, the book contains a series ofnever-published ditties or doggerels superimposed on typical Anderson cartoonism. The content is typical of the art deco era and carries with it naughtyconnotations of a society not yet immersed in problematical behavior. In contrast to this lighter side of life, the chapter containing hispoetry and sketches of trees and Long Island expanses isindeed emotional. These 47 short verseswere writtem for Mr. Ruckstuhl's mother each morning and were put on herbreakfast tray daily during her remainng weeks. The short poems, in a most heart rending way, combine Andy's intenselove for his wife, Madeleine, and simultaneously portray the dying flora of thepast summer. The ebb of nature andfailing human life combine profoundly in the melancholy domain of his pen.