Political cartoons

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/may/25/steve-bell-my-lifes-work
http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/artists/stevebell/biography

Steve Bell

He admired the Beano comic (cartoonist Leo Baxendale),  which was full of anarchy and anti-authority. It depicted kids smashing up classrooms and causing havoc. Bell wanted to be a comic artist for kids, and sent off some work to Beano comics who in turn replied that his work was not in line with their style.

 In 1979 He created 'Dick Doobie the back to front man' for Whoopee! comic,where the page was mirrored and upside down, “quite hard for an 8 year old to read” but it proved a challenge and was short lived.

Margaret Thatcher then became Prime Minister, and the news editor of London's Time Out magazine approached Bell with the idea of a strip to attack the Conservative government. As he wanted to draw more political comics, Bell began drawing "Maggie's Farm”, which was fuelled by his intense disliking for her and her policies. He found it hard to create a character out of her until he saw her live at a conference and he noticed her slight mad eye. " she was deranged, but in a very controlled way, and this was expressed in her eyeballs.”[1]

In 1980 he created ‘Lord God Almighty’ for The Leveller, which after a few months really took off in popularity.

In 2009, he was creating 8 strips a week for the Guardian, which meant 4 full days work. The Guardian let him run wild, with little editorial intervention.

He admires cartoonist Leo Baxendale and David Low, but his all-time favourite cartoonist is Ronald Searle: "His draughtsmanship is wonderful and he's very funny and astute.”[2]

Inspirations also include Toulouse Lautrec, as he could "capture character at a flick of the line”.

Here you have Thatcher at the back centre, Gordon Brown looking very rough, with Bell next to him sketching. Tony Blair is standing, ‘looking hideous’ with Cameron looking ‘worshipfully’ at him. Blair could be looking the same way at Thatcher. Below, Lautrecs painting. [3]

Salão na Rue des Moulins (1894)

Another political cartoonist is Gerald Scarfe, who’s characters are so grotesque in their exaggerated forms, with drooping noses, sagging eyes and sharp limbs. He started working for Punch magazine and moved onto The Sunday Times as  their political cartoonist. Not only has he done comic strips, he’s contributed to the concept art of Disneys Hercules , designed many theatre sets and costumes and the iconic Pink Floyd ‘The Wall’ video.

His cartoons and paintings are usually in ink, with a fluid form and a watercolour wash.

His first published sketch appeared in The Daily Sketch in 1957, and studied further in art with  Leslie Richardson at East Ham Technical College, where he met Ralph Steadman. The two would go to museums and draw together and inevitably influenced each other - "Neither of us liked to accuse the other that we were copying each other, but you can’t help it when your styles are somehow similar.”[4]

In 1965 he was working for the Sunday times, although they commissioned work from him, they rejected a lot of his ideas and by october the same year he was with The Daily Mail. But his work proved to be too stirring and  people were upset and disgusted at his comics. After flitting about in the newspapers, he also working on the production and director of Pink Floyds The Wall in 1982.

thatchers election also had a huge effect on Scafes life, as it did on Bells. She was such a strong character to work from. "The stronger they are, the better caricatures they make. I could turn her into anything acerbic or cutting, like a dagger or a knife, probing and vicious”. His movement and vast strokes come from his drawing method. He stands and inks with a very hard nib and if he’s not pleased with the way it’s going, he’ll simply throw the paper over his shoulder and start again. His early childhood of having chronic asthma means his pent up rage is easy to depict on paper. With politicians, it’s like a pantomime, where  "it's the villain you love to hate that produces the best work.” [5]

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[1]http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/may/25/steve-bell-my-lifes-work

[2] http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/artists/stevebell/biography

[3]http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/may/25/steve-bell-my-lifes-work (video)
[4]http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/artists/geraldscarfe/biography
[5]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/politics_show/6420967.stm