Wednesday 4 March 2009

WTF?

Can anyone explain to me the point of this Murray Webb cartoon on Stuff today?
Thanks in advance for enlightening me.

10 comments:

Giovanni Tiso said...

See, you sacked me into the old "fat, fat!" thing with regards to another one of these cartoons a while ago, until I discovered that it was not an editorial cartoon (supposed to have a point) but rather part of the caricature gallery of the current crop of politicians. This one would also simply appear to be a caricature. Are you perturbed about the reference to make-up?

Giovanni Tiso said...

sacked = sucked (me illiterate)

reddeath26 said...

Perhaps it has something to do with her taking part in that makeover show last year? The one where they tried to argue that if more politicians had a makeover it would help them get more votes?

Or possibly trying to say that the green party is really a red party in disguise? I am not quite sure as I do not know this artists political leanings.

I can be completely sure however it has something relating to the upcoming election for the Green partys co leader position.

Julie said...

How were you sucked in G? Certainly no intention on my part to mislead. Why would the fact that Webb's cartoon of Judith Collins sitting on cars to crush them be ok because it wasn't editorial?

Anonymous said...

The argument that caricatures aren't editorial cartoons is among the most absurd I've seen this year (though the year is yet young).

L

Giovanni Tiso said...

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Lew. I do stand by my claim, though: what baffled me about the cartoon that Julie commented on a while ago (too lazy to find the link) was that it was all about the fat and the ministerial role in charge of the police. It didn't seem to contain any joke, or make any sort of commentary, just show the subject in an unflattering light. But guess what: that's what a caricature is!

Take the Mehandra Dhoni from the same series no longer than three days ago, Monsieur smartypants. Are you telling me that it's the same thing as an editorial cartoon? No? Didn't think so.

Now, occasionally you will get portrait that contain a political statement: Italian cartoonist Forattini used for instance to always depict in his cartoons the (morbidly obese, incidentally) leader of the republican party naked except for a fig leaf, and that stood to symbolise the parties lack of policies. Another (can't remember whom) was always dressed in the uniform of Napoleon. But generally speaking the figure itself is simply a hyperbolic deformation of physical traits. And again I'm going to have to ask: what's the problem with that?

Julie said...

The point of the Judith Collins cartoon, and my post on it, was to portray Collins crushing cars by sitting on them. How is that not an inappropriate comment on someone's weight, regardless of whether it's an editorial cartoon or not??

I'm still pretty in the dark on this current Bradford cartoon - can anyone tell me which article in the DomPost (presumably) it appeared alongside? that might help. rd26, I agree it would logically seem to be related to the leadership contest, but it seems to suggest Bradford would consider a range of colours that include blue?!!

Giovanni Tiso said...

The point of the Judith Collins cartoon, and my post on it, was to portray Collins crushing cars by sitting on them.

Oh, FFS Julie... she was sitting on a police car, shorthand for the fact that she's the minister of police. Either the car was ludicrously small, or she ludicrously large, or both, but it's a frigging caricature. Do you also stop by the people who do it in the street in tourist centre and complain "hey, you did her too big", "hey, his nose is not that large". C'mon.

Might as well complain about the Dhoni cartoon being discriminatory of people with large heads.

Julie said...

Are we looking at the same cartoon G? Because the one I see has Collins sitting on top of a pile of 3 cars, none of which look like police cars to me, and there is grey stuff coming out the sides at the bottom along with movement lines on the sides which to me look like the artist is implying the cars are getting crushed. Sorry I don't know the right terms for these things.

Webb's style is to do people with big heads, that's fine. I note his cartoon of Collins this morning did not make her look fat at all. So clearly he's capable of doing it without all the body-politics.

Giovanni Tiso said...

You're right, I was mis-remembering the other cartoon. That doesn't change my point, though, which is that if we don't allow ourselves to play a degree of what you call body politics in satirical portraiture - which is meant to be iconoclastic of the people in power or in the public eye - we'll be sadder as opposed to more englightened. But they, that's just me.