About Caricatures

Caricatures appear everywhere, from Times Square to high-priced galleries. They have a long history with a deeply political past. Once used as a humorous opinion piece for the common man, they are now immortalized in history because of artists such as Al Hirschfeld. Caricature as an art is alive and well in modern media, although it causes upsets every so often.

What Is a Caricature?

A caricature is a hand-drawn portrait meant to exaggerate and emphasize particular characteristics about one's features, viewpoints, actions or trappings. Lenn Redman, a noted caricature artist, once said that "caricaturists exaggerate for the sake of truth, as opposed to distorting in order to deny that truth." Many times, notable people such as politicians and movie stars are captured by the caricaturist's pen. Caricature artists are also popular party entertainment, creating memorable art that is personal in nature.

Common Characteristics

2006 Mansfield's Man / Creative Commons

Caricature is often done in pencil or ink on white paper. However, there are many artists who work in full color. The artist will take features from the person's face and exaggerate them to greatest comedic benefit, but never to the point that a spectator cannot decipher the target's identity. For instance, a Joe Bluhm caricature of screen icon Marilyn Monroe depicts the bombshell with blown-up blond locks, prominent eyes and lips and huge breasts--all signatures of the Monroe aesthetic that live on today.

Notable Examples of Modern Caricature

Latter-day caricature wouldn't be where it is without the art of Al Hirschfeld. Although Hirschfeld died in 2003, his art lives on in the Margo Feiden Galleries in New York City. He immortalized Broadway stars for many years, with his art gracing a United States postage stamp in the summer of 2008.
Sometimes caricature can light a fire in the media. During the 2008 presidential campaign, New Yorker cover artist Gary Blitt drew caricatures of African-American Democratic candidate Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, in the Oval Office, clothed in Muslim gear and doing a fist bump. Though the cover was called "The Politics of Fear" to highlight growing fear about race in the nation, many saw it as an outrage. The cover was later lampooned by Comedy Central hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for Entertainment Weekly.

Political Cartoons and Caricature in 1800s America

Politicos were the first major targets of caricature artists, with some drawings so scathing that they resulted in imprisonment. In the United States, book shop owner William Charles rose to notoriety when he published a book of caricature political cartoons based on the War of 1812. During the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, the reduced cost of printing materials made political cartoons more available to the public. The Lilly Library website notes that Lincoln's "rise to the presidency and term in office, his insistence on maintaining the union at all costs, and his remarkable physical appearance drew much ink from the pens of caricaturists."

Ways to Get Caricatures Now

For those who want to have fun and try their hand at caricature art, the Internet is a resource. Websites such as Magixl.com have lots of tools and clip art to manipulate pictures into hilarious drawings. Online discount printer Vistaprint offers a caricature tool that produces art for business cards and identity products. However, it's always fun to throw a party and hire a skilled caricature artist.

Resources

• A Brief History of Caricature
• AlHirschfeld.com
• Political Cartoons of the Lilly Library