Caricature and Cartoons - Essay Example

Caricature and Cartoons in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Insert Name Tutor Date Introduction Caricature is a picture or a presentation of a person exaggerating the physical features of that person, the dressing and the manners of that particular individual in order to produce a ludicrous effect. Cartoons are similar to caricature in that they are comically distorted images of an individual whose purpose is to ridicule the person. Cartons and caricature have been widely used in the eighteenth and nineteenth century especially in England and France to achieve political and social change. This was achieved by using them to communicate with politicians and leaders. They were meant to convey certain information to the concerned individual (Black et al., 2006). This type of art was considered an effective weapon by people whose intentions were to fight against some bad aspects in the political and social system. Apart from damaging the person’s reputation, the cartoons and caricature could also elicit their own propaganda and this could change people’s perception of the individual in focus. However, even though it appeared malicious and cruel, it was not considered offensive even by most individuals who were attacked through this art. It was basically used to depict an individual in a manner that other people may not be able to see due to their biases and prejudice (Corfield, 1987). Use of Caricature and Cartoons in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Caricature and cartoons are used within the public sphere as a rebellious weapon to instigate political, social or artistic change within the society. During the eighteenth and the nineteenth century, especially in the era of revolution (1789 to 1799), caricature was widely used in France in their efforts to attack and transgress several organizations within their country and those in the opposing side. According to Melot, (1988), the role of caricature is to destroy the political structure by use of an aesthetic medium with the aim of disseminating the message to a mass audience. It is therefore a destructive and reconstructive medium that is used to instigate change in the periods of revolution. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, caricature and cartoons were used to address the emerging issues in particular the middle class bourgeoisie. The economic classes started to emerge the same time with a new audience for arts and this helped the artists to gain mass audience for the cartoons and caricature. Before this, it was only the elite aristocrats who consumed visual culture. They emergence of caricature in the eighteenth and nineteenth century however came up with a new set of social concerns in the society. The visual nature of the cartoons and caricature made it to flourish and this enabled it to be consumed by even the members of the lower class whose majority were illiterate. Between 1789 and 1799 in France, there was a break in the administrative centralization in the French politics. This period was also characterized by struggle towards democratization of the French society. According to Cuno (1988), use of caricature and cartoons were encouraged because the oppositional sides ridiculed each other basing their debates on the authority of the monarchy, the position of the clergy, and the function of the Third Estate, which comprised of the common people of France. For political purposes, caricature and cartoons were used to focus on changing perceptions of the monarchial system of government especially the concept of monarchy as an individual, basically to question the authority that monarchy had. There was use of caricature to portray exaggerations of individual’s physiognomy. These were features used to distinguish isolated and stressed individuals trying to reveal a further perception of the character of the monarchy government. The message that such a caricature was conveying is that the individual who is the subject matter in the high position can also be brought down into a lower position. This was to signify that there was a cultural attempt to contravene the monarchy government. The exaggerated figures used in the caricature are an indication undermining the subject. It was therefore an aim of portraying the monarchy in a lower status (O’Donnel, 2011). In Australia, political cartoons were also in high use. This started in 1830s with the featuring of the first political cartoon in the Australian newspapers. A cartoon by Phil May in 1880 came up with a cartoon showing an Asian octopus overpowering an Australian. This was linked to the white Australian immigration policy that was in effect in the eighteenth and the nineteenth century. This was to show the extent of racism that prevailed in Australia during that time. This showed how powerful a cartoon can be in focusing on an issue as compared to the written words (Mahood, 1973). The impact of caricature and cartons was highly felt by politicians and once they became aware of how persuasive they were to the people, they also started using them to attack each other. They also started using them as campaign strategy. This was a notable change in the field of politics where the politicians also engaged in use of caricature and cartoons during their campaigns. This also led to an improvement in the quality of cartoons being produced by artists. This is because the political parties started commissioning the work to the highly talented artists thus raising the quality of caricature and cartoons being produced. The use of cartoons and caricature really proliferated in the eighteenth century and this enabled the members of the population have a medium for attacking the government and the politicians. The art opened a way in which the members of the population can have a freedom of expressing the negative feelings they have towards the government or some of its members. This change was a form of political freedom that is still there even today. For example every copy of the New York Times or the USA Today bears a cartoon of the president or a congress member who has made a mistake that week (Parramon's Editorial Team, 2003). Social Changes Brought By Use of Caricature and Cartoons Caricature and cartoons were used to condemn various issues that were happening in the society in various places. For example in England, they were used to condemn excessive consumption of alcohol and various other issues that were associated with the emerging social classes. A cartoon drawn by William Health in 1830 entitled “blessing of cheap cinder” was of a very big man holding his stomach in pain and his face in agony. This cartoon led to the passing of the Beerhouse Act of 1830 by the Britain’s prime minister. The aim of the act was to condemn the bad influence of gin and other had spirits that were being taken by the wealthy people and to encourage a healthier beer alternative. The act also required purchase of licenses by beer sellers for two guineas. This resulted in an increase in the number of beer houses which offered healthier alternatives to spirits and the gin. Another art to condemn excessive consumption of alcohol was by James Gillary in 1799 entitled “Punch Cures the Gout, The Colic and the Tisick”. A punch is a mixture of fruit juices and some ingredients of liquor which could only be afforded by the rich. Gout, The Colic and the Tisick are diseases that are associated with excessive consumption of alcohol. This cartoon was aimed at informing the rich to abstain from strong liquor that causes the named diseases (O’Donnel, 2011). Another consumption issue that was condemned by use of cartoons was the excessive consumption of food also by the rich people in England. The rich people in England ate a lot of meat and less of casseroles and this led to many of them becoming obese. They also ate at the late hours trying to adopt the trend of Queen Victoria. The habit of eating large amounts of food late at night is however associated with indigestion. This was depicted in a piece of caricature by George Cruikshan in 1835 who drew a man with an uncomfortable face, clutching on his chest which is an indication of heart burn, servants removing trays of empty plates showing how much the man had eaten and his mouth seeming to groan (University of Virginia, 2012). Cartoon and caricature were also used to attack the church in France. After the Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed in 1790, the church land was confiscated in attempt to reorganize the church according to the principles of equality. The Catholic Church therefore became too much associated with the monarchy. Caricature took stage focusing on the pope and the members of the clergy. Two cartoons named “The Patriotic Fat Remover” and “The Priest of Yesterday-The Priest of Today” was produced depicting a richly dressed clergy member led towards the press where he is forced to give up his wealth. The main aim of these cartons was to depict the church as a greedy and wealthy organization and the state as an establishment that is hungry for money and is trying to extract money through the church. Therefore the church is displayed to be operating under the power of the state. Here caricature is used to change the perception people have towards the church. There are also cartoons showing an obese priest who cannot join his hands together for a prayer due to his big stomach which is used to show greed. This also shows that the priest if not suited to the functions of his office. Other caricature also followed with some showing the pope being welcomed by devils in hell due to his failure in upholding the law of Saint Peter. These were meant to show the implications to religious leaders who used to threaten others by using eternal damnation so that they can secure power for themselves. Basically all this resulted in questioning the role of the church authority in the society (Art Institute of Chicago, 1977). Generally there was change in some social aspects that happened due to efforts of the artists. People’s perceptions about the church changed and this lend to changes in the administration of the church. This form of art also brought changes in the lifestyle of the rich people in the society by creating awareness to them over their habits of over consumption of alcohol and bad eating habits. Basically cartoons and caricature caused the members of the society to start viewing some social issues in a different view point. Use of caricature and cartoons also enabled the members of the society who were illiterate and the majority to also understand what was happening in the society. This is because they could not be able to read the print media and even those who could read could not afford it. This is because they were from the low class in the society. This form of art therefore enabled them to understand some issues that were happening behind their illiteracy (Kerr, 2000). Artistic Change in Use of Caricature and Cartoons in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century The continued use of caricature and cartoons to condemn the politicians started receiving censorship in some nations such as France. This is because they realized that the drawings were more accessible even to the people in the lower classes than the print media. This is because even though those people were illiterate, they could well see the drawings. Censorship began in France in 1879 which saw caricaturists and some newspaper editors being threatened and intimidated. Censorship was done by the monarchy’s Committee of Public Safety on all forms of media. However, this ban was completely lifted in 1830 under the policies of Charles X following a three day riot. This brought in The Charter constitution which declared that there will never be any censorship on the media (Goldstein, 1989). This marked a major transition in art work as the artists gained more freedom to express their work. The increased impact of caricature and cartoons especially on the political and social issues also made the artists to improve on their production works. As politicians also resulted to use of cartoons and caricature as campaign strategies and also against their rivals, the demand for this form of art increased and this made the artists improve on the quality of their work. Conclusion Use of cartoons and caricature in the eighteenth and nineteenth century had a great impact especially in France. It caused a change in the political system by changing people’s perception on the monarchy and this eventually resulted in its overthrow. This was by bringing into light various bad issues associated with the monarchy. Caricature and cartoons were also used to focus on some issues that were happening in the society and to make people perceive those issues in a different way. It was especially used to attack the people in the high social class and bring to their attention some issues that they were doing which were not pleasing or healthy. For example they brought into light the excessive use of gin and hard spirits by the wealthy and this resulted into a policy adoption. They were also used to condemn poor eating and drinking habits by the wealthy by showing the negative consequences of the habit. They were also used to change people’s perception about the church and also to condemn some acts by the members of the clergy. Generally, they were brought change in the political system and also in the society through the issues they targeted. Bibliography Cuno, J., 1988, ‘Introduction’ in French Caricature and the French Revolution, 1789-1799, Los Angeles, Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts. Goldstein, R., 1989, Censorship of Political Caricature in Nineteenth-Century France, Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio. Kerr, D., 2000, Caricature and French Political Culture 1830-1848: Charles Philipon and the Illustrated Press, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Mahood, M., 1973, The Loaded Line: Australian Political Caricature 1788-1901, Melbourne University Press, Carlton (Vic.). Melot, M., 1988, ‘Caricature and the Revolution: The Situation in France in 1789’ in French Caricature and the French Revolution, 1789-1799, Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, Los Angeles. Art Institute of Chicago, 1977, British caricatures of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century from the William McCallin McKee collection: an exhibition held at the Art Institute of Chicago in honor of the late Thomas Foster Furness, Art Institute of Chicago. University of Virginia, 2012, English Caricature: Nineteenth Century Excess, retrieved on 15th September 2012 from http://www.hsl.virginia.edu/historical/artifacts/caricatures/en7-excess.cfm Parramon's Editorial Team, 2003, Cartoon Illustration, Barron's Educational Series, Kansas. Black,J., et al., 2006, The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century, Volume 3. O’Donnel, R., 2011, Political and Social Change and its Depictions in 19th Century French and English Caricature: Decapitation, Dismemberment, and Defecation, Student Pulse online academic journal, vol 30 (8). Corfield, P., 1987, From Rank to Class: Innovation in Georgian England, History Today Volume: 37 Issue: 2  Read More