Visual Analysis Art Spiegelman

Time of Lies: Abstract iconography in “Maus” Art Spiegelman’s graphic memoirs “Maus I” and “Maus II” present an approachable and sensory biography, a detailed and authentic retelling of a Holocaust survivor’s experience. The pictorial style of the memoir encourages the reader to visualize the text and more vividly relate to the experiences portrayed in the literature. The graphic and artistic aspects of the text employ devices that are unique to comics, in style and sequence, while drawing the characters as mice, which are visually simple, rather than realistic human representations of the characters. By exploring various levels of detail within the memoir’s iconography, Spiegelman expresses a story in accessible terms and presents a unique
For example, all Jews are mice and all Germans are cats within the memoir. By creating iconographical uniforms for certain kinds of people, Spiegelman suggests the universality of the Holocaust story and allows the reader to more easily identify with the characters. In “Understanding Comics,” graphic novelist Scott McCloud says, “The ability of cartoons to focus our attention on an idea is, I think, an important part of their special power, both in comics and in drawing generally. Another is the universality of cartoon imagery. The more cartoony a face is, for instance, the more people it could be said to describe” (McCloud 31: 3-4). This argument is supported by the iconography presented by most of “Maus.” There is virtually no difference between the faces of mice, between cats, between pigs, etc. Therefore, the reader identifies characters by their actions and other appearance. McCloud says, “Our identities and awareness are invested in many inanimate objects every day. Our clothes, for example, can trigger numerous transformations in the way others see us and in the way we see ourselves” (McCloud 38: 6). This theme is displayed, for example, in Artie’s vest and elderly Vladek’s eyeglasses. By presenting iconography that is uniform, Spiegelman takes away the complications of a personal account and literally dehumanizes the characters involved, therefore telling a Holocaust story
Art declares the metaphor by saying, “they’re gone. Sometimes I just don’t feel like a functioning adult” (Spiegelman II, 43:1). Art, in child form, walks through the streets filled with surreal concentration camp victims to see his shrink. The corpses work as icons to represent the nameless guilt that is affecting Art. During the session with his psychologist, Art remains in child-sized form as he explores the struggles of trying to visualize and occupy the experience of a person in Auschwitz. When Pavel mentions the book, Art says, “My book? Hah! What book?? Some part of me doesn’t want to draw or think about Auschwitz. I can’t visualize it clearly, and I can’t BEGIN to imagine what it felt like” (Spiegelman II, 46:1). Perhaps Spiegelman uses iconography as a solution to this problem. By making the visual elements of the story and the characters less detailed, Spiegelman takes an objective approach to the haunting experience. As Art walks home from his appointment with Pavel, he begins to brainstorm his project again, no longer distracted by his guilt and the memories of his father. Art says, “Gee. I don’t understand why…but these sessions with Pavel somehow make me feel better…Maybe I could show the tin shop and now draw the drill press. I hate to draw machinery” (Spiegelman II, 46: 8-10). Here, the moment-to-moment closure displays Art’s