"The meaning of the work had to become evident through the work itself," Ross says. "[Gorey] was simply uninterested in explaining his work to anyone, especially himself, or perhaps, most importantly himself."
Take for example a bizarre drawing with a candle that seems to exist in thin air, Ross elaborates.
"The floating candle would stand for itself. And you would have to react to the floating candle yourself," he says.
And for Ross, his admiration of Gorey was based on the purity of his work.
"[Gorey] didn't court the favor of the art world or the world of culture," Ross conjures. "He just went on doing his work. Of all the things that drew me to him, the most impressive was the honesty of the endeavor. He just did his work and the world be damned."
More Than a Fisherman
Gotham began displaying and selling his works, and has, since the first year, held an exhibit of Gorey's art at least once a year.
When Gorey moved from New York City, and did not care for the burden of relocating all of his work, he left it in the hands of Gotham Book Mart.
Brown admits he had gotten pretty close to Gorey over the past few decades.
"When you work with a man and display his work for over 30 years, you get to know him and his artwork pretty well," says Brown.
And Brown finds Gorey's work profound.
"I'm of the theory that [Gorey] was up to much more that he would admit to," Brown says. "He would say that his work was just what you saw, and nothing more, but I think it's similar to Hemingway's claim that The Old Man and the Sea was just about an old fisherman and nothing else."
"Gorey, as scholarly as he was, had a lot of hidden implications in his work.
He was addressing basic philosophic issues about life and living, and was making strong convictions with his art," he continues. "His art is not just frivolous, light-hearted humor, but serious statements. There's more than meets the eye."
After a pause, Brown adds, "Scholars in the coming years will keep digging and keep discovering."