The Illustration Friday topic this week is/was “Pet Peeves”. I saw it as an opportunity to develop a sketch for the Vulgar Army project. It just happened the Illustration Friday topic was ideal.
My pet peeves are too numerous to recount. At the moment, it is generic by-numbers-octopus-propaganda and political cartoons. Not that I object to octopuses being used in propaganda/political cartoons. There have been some very imaginitive ones such as: L. D. Bradley, “Before the Trojan Horse is admitted, The Puzzled Citizen will have to be shown a little more fully, . .” Chicago Daily News, 3 February 1909 and the Harper’s Weekly cover Oct 6, 1900 showing the “Hunting of the Octopus” (Edit: “Hunting of the Octopus” by William Allen Rogers).
It is just, they are typically:
1) Write names of issues, organisations etc on limbs
2) Put head (or hat) of whomever you are trying to lampoon on octopus. Alternatively, tattoo their name across octopus forehead
3) Involve maps or globes.
Which isn’t to say these techniques don’t work. Take the Trojan Horse and the Hunting the Octopus. Both use labels to show what they are trying to represent. But they don’t just dump the octopus in the middle of the page, on a map or globe and stick someones head on it.
Edit (23rd March 3.30pm):
Links
David Hardy (April 2007) Octopuses and the NRA
TONMO.com (2003-2008) Octopuses & Propaganda
Quotidian Hell (May 2007) Quotidian Hell
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Alternatively, my pet peeve is my forgetfullness at the moment, and never being able to find anything because I keep piling stuff up.
And a question, what is the difference between propaganda and political cartoons? Some political cartoons aren’t propaganda but commentry (i.e. Leunig), but others seem less commentry and more propaganda. Is there a line, or is it all if the cartoon agrees with your opinion? For example the two octopus cartoons mentioned in this post - propaganda or political cartoon? Maybe I should just look up the definition of propaganda.
EDIT:
Well, I looked it up. According to Dictionary.com propaganda is:
“1. information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.
2. the deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc.
3. the particular doctrines or principles propagated by an organization or movement. ”
So, I guess whether a political cartoon is commentry or propaganda depends on intent.
Comment by mischa — March 23, 2008 @ 10:43 am
I feel like I am talking to myself. *sigh*
Comment by mischa — March 23, 2008 @ 11:58 am
CHEESE!
Comment by mischa — March 27, 2008 @ 11:09 am