The Alfred Sun

I found this image in the Alfred Sun and I chose it because I want to get better at analyzing political cartoons. What I got from this piece is that religious organizations are mostly controlled by the government. This may not be a surprise to much people my outlook on it is that it's some other form of control. One of the other things I noticed was how massive the depiction of the government is. The control of the government is shown in the hands that seems to dwarf the size of the priests neck. If it were smaller and on the priest's shoulder it would have seemed more sentimental, not so harsh. I feel as though the two figures in the drawing should have maybe been the same size. This would have shown that their relationship is more like a partnership. It terms of what the priest is holding ,Im not sure why that was needed. I feel as though the message would have gotten conveyed without it. What do you guys think?

Herblock & Koren

I found the interview with Edward Koren quiet intriguing. Where, in this article, he alludes to the fact that he is not conscious of his audience when he makes his work. It is merely consumed in his own autobiographical state of frustration, especially concerning the middle class. Similar to Herblock’s caricatures, Koren’s use of animals seems to be a pragmatic decision as well. Herblock, referencing the famous novel, animal farm, is also one that uses animals in order to depict a serious and yet, relieving form of satirical humor. “Animals can be understood by anyone, at any time and usually at any age,” using this idea from Koren’s, I think we are able to understand the same social and political involvement even though we are from a truly different generation.

In Herblock’s print, instead of being just animals, or animals transformed into humans almost, he uses the pig as the antagonist in the situation, and the victims, the humans trapped behind barb-wired fences. In this scene, he plays off of the idea from George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm. Here, the pig is seemingly “more equal than others.” The sign being one indication, as well as the whip, the cigar hanging out of the pigs mouth, and him sitting on a box that reads, 1 rural area vote = 100 city votes. This reference is maybe related to the discussion that we had about the voting system and states having the same power regardless of population… This suggestion for awareness of the population change within the 1960s still pertains to the issues we face today. In Koren’s essay he talked about the reliance on visual clichés. A pig is a good example of a cliché to depict a gluttonous character or a greedy character. The physiognomy of the pig suggests that he takes, and he is powerful and stubborn. I think this political approach however in Herblock’s print, is different from that of Guston; primarily because Guston acknowledges the ideas of political power, especially in his depiction of little Richard, whereas Koren claims his power to be social.

Tom and Jerry

This week I decided to pick a cartoon that was comical and that was highly known to the public. I find this to be a very common cartoon that most of the public has seen at least once in a life time. It is something that at least kids in the 90s are all familiar with. I find this particular cartoon interesting because it does not have individual voices. I enjoy the fact that this cartoon relies on the soundtracks, it makes it unique from other cartoons on tv. Its use of animation and use of expression within each of the characters is unique in the sense they play along with the cat and mouse toying with another. You could relate this to say a typical sibling behavior or something political. It is a comical cartoon that has the cat wrapped up by the finger, because he is determined to get the mouse. Tom seems to want Jerry so badly, it is almost how humans have a huge demand for say gas? or food? or materialistic objects. This is a cartoon that is very funny and entertaining because you see the cat getting into trouble and it comes off as entertaining to the viewer.

Rabbit Do

This image reminds me of a set of images and discussion we had the week before break about hair in the 1800s. Hair being a representation of your social status then involved curls and height where now I would say its about how much you pay someone to do it for you. But its a caricature of your self in that it represnts your self expression, personality, mood, or how much time you have to groom and prepare yourself.

As you see in the image, the rabbit is directly on top of her head staring in the same direction as she. The face is perfectly defined where the neck blends into her hair. I find the ears the funniest part of this image because instead of defining the top of the ears like the face, they allow the rest of the hair to cascade down torwards her head as if theyre like pig tails but theyre rabbit ears.

It reminds me of people who say that pet owners look like their pets, in that the girl and the rabbit almost share the same expression. Maybe thats her spirit animal.

"So...art?"

This comic strip is pretty simple; it's mostly dialogue.  It's also drawn very simply.  There is just a man and a bear, no environment, no shading, nothing.  Also, the first two frames in the strip are repeated in the last two frames.  I think this works, because it lets the viewer just focus on what is being said.  The man is talking to a small bear about how he misses college and wants to be in the environment again, except this time he wants to get paid.  When the bear points out that he could teach, the man says that he has no useful skills to teach students, is hardly employable, and is a "weirdo".  To which the bear responds, "so...art?".  

  

I found this really funny when I first read it.  I think a lot of art students can relate to this comic strip, because I'm sure at one point or another, somebody criticized them for going into art.  This cartoon is making fun of art by calling artists "...a barely employable, constantly broke weirdo with no useful skills who all his friends secretly think is a joke".  I've had friends jokingly (most of the time) tell me that I'll be poor, or that I'll not be doing anything useful, or something about how going into art was a stupid choice.
I'm going to graduate soon, which is another reason why I can relate to this.  The man is already out of college, but he says he misses it and still doesn't know what he wants to do with his life.  While I'm not out of here yet, I'm already stressing about what I want to do (as I'm sure many people are).  As I read this over and over again, I think that many more people, not just art students, can relate to this strip, because even some graduates who are working and making a living are not completely sure what they want to do and feel like they aren't ready yet.  This strip does a nice job of making fun art and the struggles of a college student/graduate.

Charlie Brown and Americanization and the Comic strip

In reading Yaszek's article about the Americanization and the Comic Strip during the Progressive Era, I couldn't help but to think of the Sunday daily series, the Classic Peanut cartoons by Charles M. Shutlz. His prolific output of cartoons featuring the characters, Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy, led him to touch upon many aspects of American life as well as some political debates. Its social commentary is similar to the ones described in the series, Yellow Kid. It does not shy away from violence, as Lucy socks one to Charlie Brown.... This action has a series of interpretations, perhaps in part to Lucy being somewhat ignorant and stubborn, or perhaps it is Charlie Brown who is incorrectly verbalizing? Because of the reverberating presence of the Peanut comic strips, it has the same dialogic relationship with the middle class america as it did during the Progressive Era?

The use of speech bubbles and dialogue reinforces the actions of these two “classic” american children. Charlie Brown, an innocent boy sort of wards off the Lucy who is frantically chasing after him, for unknown reasons, perhaps one that was portrayed in an earlier series. Charlie, tries to settle the dispute by stating a “worldly opinion” stating, “ wait a minute hold everything!” “ we have no right to act this way, the world is filled with problems... people hurting other people... people not understanding other people..” “now if we, as children can't solve what are relatively minor problems how can we ever expect to...” “pow” and Lucy hits him. I think that the satirical and irony of this situation that Charlie Brown has gotten into is the reverse character gender roles. It would have a different connotation if Charlie Brown started to hit Lucy, but Lucy, hitting Charlie Brown allows it to become humorous. Much like the Yellow Kid series, where laughter breeds contemplation. Who are we laughing at per say? The minimal stylization also allows the comic to become more accessible, it has many layers to the story other than the ones being stated in the speech bubbles. In terms of promotion for Americanization, I think this comic is more of a comment on typical American behavior and life rather than on the promotion of immigrants to adopt “american” like beliefs. “While popular comic strips were produced by members of the middle class, they were marketed toward a much wider audience. The comic strip originally appeared in the sensation papers to boost circulation, especially amongst the lower-middle and working classes.” The indication that this cartoon might be a form of Progressivist mentality is that it has a middle class typical attitude to the piece, but in order to gain availability to a broader public, it appeared in magazines, newspapers, etc. a publication read by the masses, in opposition to the artwork of the elites.

Clinton and Obama Boxers

This week I decided to go back to political cartoons located in news and political cartoon sites. This particular cartoon shows Bill Clinton and Barack Obama smoking with their pants at their ankles. Each sporting different patterned boxers relating to big political events/crisis' that occured during their term. Daryl Cagle from MSNBC.com used this political cartoon to express the problems each president had to endure when they were in office. In the cartoon, the artists have placed heart shaped boxers on Bill Clinton. Reliving the lawsuits and court cases that Clinton endured when he committed acts of adultery during his term. His sad expression and particular stance shows a specific expression of shame.
Obama on the other hand is sporting boxers with gas tank symbols on them. From this I took, Daryl picking the sky rocketing gas prices as one of the worst economical crisis' we have lived through in, Obama's term as president. It has become very difficult to keep funds at a state of equilibrium when filling up are cars costs more and more each day.
It is very interesting however, that they wear business attire on the top and boxers showing there flaws. It kind of gives off that sense of hiding your flaws since boxers aren't often being seen by all. However, they are very obnoxious boxers and having so many responsibilities it is hard to hide.