The Sorelian world that has emerged over the decades defies categorization.
Caricatures, illustrations, poster designs, cartoons, magazine covers, pictorial essays, and children's books have flowed from his pen. His subjects range from contemporary life to history, art, religion, politics, film, and fantasy, covering an emotional range from outrage to whimsy. Like a journalist, he tells stories or provides a thoughtful commentary on the world around him. Like a portraitist; he informs us about public figures, creating powerful images that linger in our memory.
In addition to their humor and discernment, Sorel's pictures entice us because of his compelling drawing style. He loves the honesty, immediacy, and freedom of line that is lost in a cleaner, more restrained technique. The multidirectional lines defy contours and cross borders, breaking all the rules of drawing. But the wild disorder is only a momentary illusion. Deftly drawn details, characteristic expressions, and a sense of figural motion betray a supremely competant hand. Despite the ugly distortions, compositional balance and warm-toned watercolor washes transform his satiric vision into drawings that are beautiful to look at and intriguing to study.
