Cartoon Bridging Cultures - GreekARToon 2006

A pleasing cartoon catalogue is the catalogue of the 1ste International Cartoon Contest, by GreekARToon.(ISBN 960-89471-1-1,  Ahthens, 2006).

The theme was 'cartoon bridging culture'. In the preface, I read:  "the art of Cartoon, indeed, is a "charismatic and gifted" art form and concurrent of the evolution of man, human society and technology, as recorded from the ancient Phlyacographves on the walls or on ceramic pottery to the pages of printed or electronic press, and to the books that have been produced by other means. Despite the evolution in the means - tools of production, its manifold significance and role continues  unaltered. That is to say, it is the endurance of the archaic meaning and significance of the historical  and social 'need' that produced it, which is nothing but a 'handcrafted' interpretation and divestment of an instant momentum, that does not only 'ridicule - mock - satirize' the sacred  and the profane ,or the power relations. Equally, satirizes the modern and multifaceted culture of everyday life, in an age of globalization, of unprecedented advancement, but also an age of piling problems, violence and conflicts.
In other words, Cartoon , as a visual art, but also deeply as a 'political' art, is the meeting point and the channel  of communication between the various bearings of the 'comic and the tragic'. (GREEKARTOON)

Dalcio Mahado - Brazil

Robert ROUSSO - France

Osmani Simanca - Brazil

Che An Yong - China

Musa Gumus - Turkey

Clay Bennett - USA

Oley Dergachov - Canada

Albert Rousso - France

Tommy Thomdean - Indonesia

Jin Hui - China

Learn more:
www.greekartoon.gr

About (almost) rare books

Article by JMB

Jan asked me to present some very rare books. At first, one must ask: why to do it? If a book is over than rare, it would be impossible for this blog’s readers to find it. So, what's the use to mention it, apart from showing off in the style: look what I proudly own when you will never get it! This is not my aim, and I already pointed out my position by adding an “almost” to this article’s title. In fact, apart from a single copy book, of course, there is always a hope to find some rarity. In addition, our friend collectors know that, in collecting, the most important thing is not to possess an even very rare book, but to keep searching for the next book, a hard to find item which one runs after for years and years. The real pleasure doesn’t come just with a “great shot”, but at a permanent hunting.

After these necessary forewords, I wish to show you a book that is really hard to find, as it is both old and was a limited edition. It is the very first theoretical study about caricature, ever published in France.

Although not numbered, this book is attested from several serious sources to have been published in 200 copies

This first French edition, published in 1802 (year 10 of the French revolutionary calendar), was preceded by two English editions, titled: Rules for Drawing Caricaturas: with an Essay on Comic Painting. The first one, in 1788, was illustrated by a frontispiece and four plates; the second one, in 1791, was illustrated by twenty one plates. There was also a German edition which had, like the French edition: a frontispiece and twenty eight plates (including six folded plates). Oddly in France, the author’s first name is printed: François, when it is really: Francis.

For the French Mint, Ronald Searle, who had some plates from the English second edition, designed a medal dedicated to Francis Grose and his book, in 1981.

In the French book, before the plates: a text in fifteen pages details Grose’s rules for drawing caricatures, then comes his essay about comic painting along seventeen pages, and nine pages contain the explanations, or subtitles of all the plates.

Francis Grose (1731-1791) is not only a caricatures’ theoretician, but also a regular practitioner (he drew most of this book illustrations). Since his youth, he is keen about antiquities and drawing and is taught in a Fine-Arts School.

Although the Captain Francis Grose military career was not long, he was proud of his grade and uses it for all his life long, when his main features are to be an artist and an active scholar.

He publishes ten volumes of Antiquities of England and Wales, two volumes of Antiquities of Scotland, a Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue: A dictionary of buckish slang, university wit, and pickpocket eloquence, and a Guide to Health, Beauty, Riches and Honour. Grose is in Ireland to prepare a book about its antiquities, when the obese he is since decades, suddenly died of an apoplectic seizure. With humour, Ronal Searle said about him: “It seems he is a top rated archeologist among the ones who published as much books’ weight as their own weight”.

Rare cartoon books?

Every collector, whether he collects stamps, Dinky Toys, teabags, coins or even cartoon books is happy to have some rare specimen in his collection. I asked myself if we could present some rare cartoons books on our blog. I asked Jean-Marie if he could help.

He asked me what I meant with a 'rare' cartoon book?

- Is it a book from a little-known artist with a small diffusion?
- Is it a rare book because of a limited edition?
- Is it a rare book because copies have been destroyed?
- Is it a rare book because you can't find it through regular commercial channels?
- Is it a rare book because it's sale was forbidden? (e.g. antisemitic propaganda, pornography)
- Is it a rare book because it's really old?
- Is it a book from a known artist but rarely mentioned in the bibliographies of the author?
 -Is it a book with a particularly original presentation?

Let's go and search for it and I hope we can present to you some very interesting books in next posts.
And if you know of some rare cartoon books: let us know.

Learn more:
Everything you love to know about rare books
... how about rare cartoon books? follow our blog!

Rodney Pike and his superb celebrity caricatures

Using Facebook, I recently discovered the work of Rodney Pike (rwpike). As I am a man who loves cartoon books, the paper stuff, I must admit that I adore this digital art. The caricatures are amazingly realistic. This is world class!
I hope you like his work too.

See this 50 Superb Celebrity Caricatures  (+interview)  and convince yourselve.

"My work is a bit different than your average photo manipulator. I do all sorts of photo manipulation but photo-manipulated caricatures; political satire and caricature illustration is really where I’m at right now. I specialize in photo-manipulated caricatured illustrations perfect for magazines, books, posters etc. I also do caricature portraits." (Rodney Pike)

Bean by artist Rodney Pike

The Rolling Stones by Rodney Pike

Learn more:
Rodney Pike on Facebook
Rodney Pike's blog - recommended

William Heath Robinson Exhibition in Pinner (London Borrough of Harrow)

I admire the work of WH Robinson. The Bloghorn informed about the new exhibiton.
You can view Machines and Inventions , which is a selling exhibition, online at the Chris Beetles Gallery.

Learn more:
Chris Beatles London
More about WH Robinson on this blog

Otto Lothar

Otto Lothar (born 1932), who is a German Illustrator, Graphic designer and cartoonist,  was so kind to send us his book 'Inventur' (inventory). The book is published by Passage-Verlag. (Leipzig, 2003, ISBN 3-932900-85-5). The book is filled with absurd, profound and enigmatic drawings and cartoons.

"MONEY! - or I'll write your biography!"

Make love - not war!

When spiders suffer a depression

 In 1983 Lothar won the third prize of the Euro Kartoenale in Kruishoutem.


Learn more:
Otto Lothar on Lambiek.net

"Niks aan de hand" (Nothing wrong) by Stefan Verwey

Some CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera newtitles of last week:
"Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa."
"Bahrein protesters press demands"
"Liberate us!"
"Appeal to spare Libyan civilians"

Looking for cartoons that could illustrate restriction of freedom, I want to refer to some cartoons drawn by the Dutch cartoonist Stefan Verwey (born 1946) in his book "Niks aan de hand" ("nothing wrong"), published in 1978 (!!!).

The cartoons below are more than 30 years old, but still could by published on tomorrow's frontpage of any newspaper in the world. That's the power of good cartoons!

Learn more:
Biography
Stefan Verwey on Lambiek.net
De Harmonie.nl - publishers

Giuseppe Scalarini (1873-1948) - Italy

Noela Levi sent us the press release of the new website dedicated to  her great-grandfather, the famous Italian cartoonist Giuseppe Scalarini.

www.scalarini.it

This is what Noela wrote:

He is considered the creator of the satirical political cartoon in Italy. Satirical cartoonist for the newspaper of the Italian Socialist Party, the Avanti ! 1911 to 1925, and a fervent anti-militarist and pacifist, was then harshly persecuted by the Fascists. He used to sign his cartoons and drawings with a real unique puzzle format in its name: the stylized picture of a ladder, followed by the syllables “rini”

The site has four main sections:

BIBLIOGRAPHY Complete list of publications that have dealt with Scalarini, including a list of exhibition catalogs.

BIOGRAPHY: Portrait of the artist, related numerous, some unpublished.
In this section you will find: the transcripts of some processes in which the subject was Scalarini defendant, his confinement in the islands of Lampedusa, Ustica and imprisonment in concentration camps of histones (Large) and Bucchianico in Abruzzo, related to documents, photos and drawings the artist made during his stay in camp.
Finally, under “other documents” you can see some files that go from Crispin government until the fall of the fascist regime (1898 -1943). In documents prepared by the Police Officers, Police and Interior Ministry shows the movements “suspicious” that indicate the artist’s political activities.

WORKS OF ART: An annotated selection of the numerous collection of drawings, articles, essays and books that Scalarini has left us an example of all the drawings amounted to only about 13,000, the heirs, now has around 5000.

EXHIBITIONS: Detailed list of all the exhibitions showing. A kit you will find the covers of catalogs, posters and exhibitions for the latest selection of photos that illustrate the event (section under construction, only partly visible).

At the moment the site is only in Italian, we plan to translate it into English

yours  sincerely
Noela Levi

In The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons I found this information about Scalarini which I summarize:

• Italian cartoonist born in Mantua.
• unanimously regarded as Italy's major political cartoonist
• in the neatly drawn cartoons he captured some of the most dramatic moments in Italian history
• his cartoons rarely pitctured joy, hope or victory; though deeply convinced of the need to fight for change (he spent many years in prison during the 20 years of Mussolini's dictatorship) he always preferred to depict the cruel, malevolent face of the traditional enemies of the working class.
• he may have forced his caricatures, but it is indisputable that his grotesque and vehemently ferocious cartoons in many ways reflected reality.

Scalarini has also created numerous illustrations for children.
The illustrations below were published in the journal CORREIRE dei PICCOLI in the years 1938/1939.

How to learn in school the vowels with three bananas.

The vacuum cleaner

exprits imitation

an omelette

the Easter cake

To complete this article, Jean-Marie sent me the cover of a good anthology of his drawings. This book of 110 pages was published in 1991 during an exhibition of his drawings in Sicily. The mastermind behind this is Vito Maggio and 6 other people who presented the man's  oeuvre in the first 24 pages of this book.

Learn more:
www.scalarini.it
Scalarini Facebook fan page
caricature art by Scalarini

Coco - Der Satyr (sexdemon cartoons...)

Almost Valentine's Day... time again for an erotic cartoon book, this time by Giuseppe Coco (born in Italy, 1936).

 "Der Satyr - Wie wärs mit einem kleinen Sexdämon?" (German edition by Stalling, 1981, ISBN 3-7979-1698-1)
translated: "The satyr - how about a little sexdemon?"

"Kürze Hörner, ein Ringelschwanz und Spitzohren sind die Kennzeichnen der Satyrn, jener neckischen kleinen Sexdämonen, die schon mit den Griechinnen ihre erotischen Spiele trieben. Wer sind sie wirklich und wie kommt man an solch ein liebestolles Wesen heran? Coco gibt mit spitzer Feder Auskunft."

satyr by Coco

Short horns, a curled tail and pointed ears are the characteristics of the satyr (*) , that small sexdemons that already played their erotic games with the ancient Greek woman. Who are they really and how does one approach such a great love creature? Coco gives us al the information this mythical creature with his sharp pen.

(*) the Cultural Dictionary defines satyr as a creature in classical mythology who was part man and part goat. Satyrs were famous for being constantly drunk and for chasing nymphs. They were companions of Dionysus.

ten commandments

Learn more:
Giuseppe Coco on Wikipedia
More funny erotic cartoons on our blog