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Falling in love is much like swinging on a trapeze high above the ground:

It requires “perfect timing” 

It asks us to take a risk and be daring

It begs us to trust

And above all, it asks us to commit gracefully and with an ease that pulls us together in a high-flying choreography that continues to exhilarate.

Love is daring, but graceful. Love is a leap, but certain. In a trapeze performance one will grab the other, and they can let go – trusting in their partner. Here the kiss is the thing that holds them. Her confidence in him catching her is electrifying. Eyes closed, awaiting the moment with commitment and ease.

With Love with the Greatest of Ease we gain a rarely seen sentimental side of Ted Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss. Just like discovering new love in your life, you never know what you’ll find under the Big Top.

In our case, the Big Top was the Geisel Library archive, proving there’s oh so much romance in the search…

Secure your acquisition now!

Secure your acquisition now!

Please contact your local gallery for how to acquire and to learn more.

When Ted Geisel was twenty-two, he was already in love with the theater, with travel, and with Paris. During his sojourns around Europe in 1926, he returned to the City of Lights time and again, calling it "perfect." 

Ted Geisel's fascination with the theater prompted him to paint early watercolors based on new theatrical production concepts. These pieces are reminiscent of the Folies-Bergère from Paris of the twenties, and they humorously and irresistibly bear Ted’s hallmark style.

Ted's wartime film work with Frank Capra made him want to give Hollywood a serious try. Between 1946 and 1951 he won three Oscars, two for World War II documentaries and one for the animated cartoon Gerald McBoing-Boing. In 1951, on the basis of that success, Ted sent Columbia Studios his treatment for a feature-length fantasy film, and Hollywood called back.

Love with the Greatest of Ease is believed to have been created around the same time of the earliest concept drawings for The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. - a movie musical that was to be produced by Stanley Kramer and directed by Roy Rowland. Ted was instantly immersed in the production and moved to Hollywood to write the lyrics and co-author the screenplay. He also drew sketches for the vast, curvaceous sets, which Helen Geisel compared to the drawings in The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (1938).

Ted had high hopes that this film would be his entree into Hollywood- his big break. A creative line can be drawn between Ted's 1926 experience of the Erte sets for the Folies-Bergère and his Scenes from a Theatrical Production. The connection continues through his 1938 drawings in The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and into the set designs for The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. In the end, only those set designs remained faithful to Ted's sketches. 

We’re all romantics at heart. So it’s no surprise that Ted’s romantic works would be so sought after, and in many cases sell out more quickly than others. These related works all share in the notion of soaring across the distance to reach the one who shares your heart.

Ted would often tap into our ongoing quest and desire for romance. Here, a wistful stag allows a pair of woodpeckers to safely court atop his antlers. There is a sense of pride in providing such sanctuary for these lovebirds, although one can’t help but sense a longing for the stag’s own sweetheart, perhaps a doe named Emma?

Mystery abounds as Ted’s Antlered Animal cautiously approaches the Pink Tufted Small Beast with an earnest eye and wide smile. The Small Beast, filled with the same anticipation, is perched atop an impossibly precarious tower, further alluding to the tension that fuels such moments.

Ted loved to travel and returned to Venice several times, relishing in its rich architectural heritage and romantic appeal. In Cat Carnival in West Venice, he combines the romance and elegance of his favorite Italian city with Seussian wit and fantasy. His beloved Cat takes center stage in this complex work and invites us into a world of eternal romance, lavish costumes, and vivid surroundings. 

Please inquire with your art consultant to learn more about availability.

Further showcasing of Ted’s love for Venice, In Venetian Cat Singing Oh Solo Meow he captures the city’s vibrancy with his artistic homage to landmark sites such as St. Mark’s Basilica, the Hotel Danieli, and the Rialto Bridge, with the island of San Giorgio Maggiore off in the distance. 

Please inquire with your art consultant to learn more about availability.