Celestial Eyes

     This week, we read the most popular American novel of all-time. The Great Gatsby characterizes the debaucherous lifestyle of the 1920's. Of course, a thorough analysis would not be complete without inspecting the cover. Francis Cugat's piece, Celestial Eyes, was used for the dust jacket for the original publication of The Great Gatsby. There is a lot of misinformation between who influenced whom, however, the popular understanding is that Cugat's artwork made Fitzgerald add to his novel in order to incorporate the cover. We have already discussed in class how the piece was shown to Fitzgerald as he was writing, but the final product of Cugat's genius would not have been finished in time for Fitzgerald to add any changes. 

Sketch #1

     More likely, Cugat knew Fitzgerald's novel showed how the wealthy life produced waste in the form of ashes around New York City. This is shown through one of Cugat's preliminary sketches in which a train travels through a depressing depot. The sketch relates to Fitzgerald's then proposed title Among the Ash Heaps and Millionaires. In this sketch, strange faces, with no noses, are stretching over the hills into the blue sky. It should be interpreted that Fitzgerald viewed the image and was inspired to write in the billboard of Dr. Eckleburg. 

     Others recognize how Nick Carraway's description of Daisy as a "girl whose disembodied face floated along the dark cornices and blinding signs" of New York City is a distinct description of the cover. This quote occurs in Chapter four which means that Cugat would have been inspired again by Fitzgerald's writing.  Cugat's sketches begin to take the shape of the final product. He begins to use faces with striking eyes and feminine, red lips. Tears appear on two faces who look across to one another. Homes sit below the faces, which eventually turn into a city landscape. Dotted circles are shown in sketches 6 and 7. Aspects of Cugat's technique combined with Fitzgerald's writing. This culmination of genius created a mysteriously alluring cover. A cover which would also establish Fitzgerald's novel. 

Sketch #2

Sketch #3

Sketch #4      

Sketch #5

     

Sketch #7

Sketch #6