Journalistic cartoons are part of the opinion genre, expressed in an iconographic way.
The objective of the journalistic cartoons is that they suppose an incentive to laugh or to take with good humor some unpleasant facts of the reality. However, sometimes, these cartoons can be so striking that more than one can feel that they are being insulted or mocked..
The purpose of the journalistic cartoon is show a fact ironically or editorial, but with a critical background on some aspect of society, and that is why the author's opinion is presented impregnated with a bit of psychology and satire.
Thus, in journalistic cartoons, the perpetrator may present a fact or a person in a distorted way, exaggerating one's own features to ridicule.
In addition to realistic drawing, newspaper cartoons are one of the oldest known forms of journalism. Aristotle had already commented something about it in this regard, stating that journalistic cartoons represented men in a worse way than they really are..
As we have mentioned, in the exaggerated way of presenting a fact or a character, but exaggerating its features.
Many newspaper cartoons are aimed at politicians, and in them you can see how the proportions of his head are exaggerated, or the head appears accompanied by the body of an animal.
However, today, this has been expanded, and it does not fit only for men, but also for some term or part of reality.
The word caricature derives from caricare whose meaning is "accentuate", "load", and who used this term for the first time was Aníbal Carracci in the 16th century. I mean, it's not something new.
A classic example of a journalistic cartoon was the representation of King Luis Felipe I, of Orleans, in which features of Gargantua were attributed to him. For this fact, the author of the cartoon, Honoré Daumier received a jail sentence, in addition to a fine.
This type of caricature must be differentiated from those that are simply humorous, that is, they are intended to make people laugh, but they are only illustrations, without any allusion to real life characters, nor are they presented with irony.
Well, if someone prominent dies, some authors can make an image of the deceased, but they do it with respect, and it is only the cartoon, without any additional touch of sarcasm or mockery.
Once Carracci proposed the term, many newspapers began to publish their first journalistic cartoons, notably those in which, for religious political propaganda purposes, a Protestant pastor accompanied by a demon was caricatured..
Other notable journalistic cartoons were influenced by the figure of Napoleon Bonaparte, as was the French Revolution. In these cases, an attempt was made to make a satire and simultaneously transmit a moral message.
Europe was a special cradle for this genre, as it served as a means to express the political problems that the region was going through.
Some of the most prominent cartoonists have been Honoré Daumier, Etienne Cariat, John Tenniel, Gustave Doré, Alphone Colomb, Joseph Keppler, among others..
One of the North American magazines in which cartoons of this genre used to appear was New York Illustrated, as well as Grip. In Latin America they were seen in the magazine Caras y Caretas, in which many Spanish artists also collaborated.
Some functions that this genre of caricature fulfills is the following:
Once its functions are known, let's see what its main characteristics are.
This character can be real or fictional. When it comes to public personals, they are easily recognized by the audience.
Well, this way it is easier to get the message across without ambiguity, especially if the cartoon is not accompanied by words. In this case, body postures, easy expressions, and others may be exaggerated..
So that the idea is captured by the audience through drawing and that it can be subjected to an analysis.
This works to contextualize the character so that the reader can also position himself. In other cases, the cartoon is simply presented on a white background..
Or also called framing, which can be two-dimensional or three-dimensional. General plans, detail plans, or simply a close-up to make the drawing are also highlighted.
When resources for printing are limited, newspapers print the cartoon in black and white. However, the ideal is that there are colors to better convey the message. With digital newspapers this has been easier.
If the author wishes, he can include a few words to make the message more explicit. These can appear in bubbles with dialogues or in boxes. That is, the characters can speak, or they can express their thoughts. They are often called "balloons" or "sandwiches".
This message can be given implicitly or explicitly, at the discretion of the author. It can also be encrypted, that is, the reader would understand it only if they have prior information on the subject.
These are the main characteristics of newspaper cartoons. According to the purpose they can be classified in different ways.
Cartoons can present a fact or point of view, and are called an editorial cartoon..
They can also reflect the life of a character. Cartoons abound about people from the political world, whose purpose is to make known the levels of corruption in which they are immersed, according to the cartoonist.
Cartoons can also be political or framed in social or economic issues.
There is another type of caricature in which the way of life of a person is reflected. In these cases, it is called costumbrist cartoon.
In any case, the journalistic cartoon is also a means of expression, although it may be offensive to some people..
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