Hidden Treasures: The Socio-political Cartoons of Winsor McCay

Winsor McCay, cartoonist and animator died in 1934 but he set the standard in animated movie making that others, including Walt Disney, were duty bound to follow.

He was also well known for his newspaper comic strips, Gertie the Dinosaur and Little Nemo in Slumberland. However, his socio-political cartoons have been somewhat overlooked, perhaps because of the success of his strips and animations.

Here is a selection of those cartoons from the years 1929 and 1930 – in some ways very similar to our own. 80 years may separate the days the cartoons were drawn but has so much really changed? Image Credit Flickr User Anna Jumped

Image Credit Alan Light

The debate still rages today (both at home and abroad) about US interventionist policies in other countries.  At the end of the 20s isolationism - almost the opposite - took a significant hold on both the people and the politicians.  The crash of '29 made the country more inward looking and determined to fix its own problems rather than interfere with those overseas.  For McKay, who spent the last eight years of his life at The American newspaper creating editorial cartoons for Arthur Brisbane, his flair for cartoons put him in the right place at the right time. His job was to engage the reader’s eye and so persuade them to read the editorial. As such he was to tackle many of the social issues of the day, including the economy, prohibition and human nature in general.

A Short Message from David Cameron

Ai Weiwei - Zodiac Heads in London

Image Credit Flickr User hedgiecc

It has been weeks since Ai Weiwei, China’s most important modern artist, was detained while he boarded a plane for Hong Kong.  Since then the artist and outspoken activist has, or so it appears, disappeared off the face of the planet.  While there are several campaigns demanding his release, one way to remember his plight is by continuing with his planned exhibitions.

Image Credit Flickr User hedgiecc

Image Credit Flickr User poppet with a camera

So, Somerset House in London’s West End has opened an exhibition which Ai had planned for a long time.  The animal heads here represent the signs of the Chinese Zodiac.  The inspiration (aka the Circle of Animals)is a similar set which adorned an imperial resort in China but which was ransacked by European troops in 1860.

Image Credit Flickr User hedgiecc

Image Creduit Flickr User poppet with a camera

Since then various Chinese governments have worked to have the originals returned, most recently in 2008.  Yves Saint Laurent owned two of the originals and after his death the Chinese government demanded the return of the rat and the rabbit which had come in to his possession.

Image Credit Flickr User hedgiecc

Image Credit Flickr User poppet with a camera

The artist has frequently taken risks in his work. Often he uses it to visually describe the authoritarian nature of his country’s government as well as the widespread dishonesty which typically goes hand in hand with one party politics.  However, this work looks directly at the history of China without any contemporary political conflict represented through these remarkable bronze heads.

Image Credit Flickr User poppet with a camera

Image Credit Flickr User hedgiecc

The exhibition represents a double first. It is the first time that contemporary art has been put on display in the courtyard of Somerset House, a major arts and cultural center in the heart of London.  Additionally it is the first time that Ai Weiwei has exhibited public sculpture outdoors in the English capital.

Image Credit Flickr User poppet with a camera

Image Credit Flickr User poppet with a camera

Ai Weiwei certainly meant to raise an issue here – which is how culture should be sold abroad and how authentic those representations which are disseminated worldwide truly are.  Yet this is not without irony.  While highlighting the issue of the kidnap of the original sculptures Weiwei has presciently presented the world with more questions.  Why has the artist himself been kidnapped, where is he and is he safe? Most pressingly perhaps – when will he be released?

Image Credit Flickr User hedgiecc

Image Credit Flickr User hedgiecc

Kuriositas would like to thanks Flickr User hedgiecc for their very kind permission to share with you their marvellous photographs of the exhibition. Please visit his Flickr Photostream and his websie, Clapham Omnibus.

Image Credit Flickr User hedgiecc

If you would like to sign the petition calling for the release of Ai Weiwei, please click here.

Victory of the Sheep

With events in North Africa and the Middle East seeming to spiral out of control it is worth taking a minute to reflect that only a couple of decades ago Eastern Europe was going through the throws of unburdening itself of a political system that had long outstayed it welcome or indeed its usefulness.


This short animation was commissioned by Antena 3 Television in Romania – who wanted to draw the attention of the populace to the dormant totalitarian influences still at large in the country.  Not only that it seeks to highlight the humiliating nature of the relationship between government and the working classes twenty years after the fall of communism in the country.

It does go to show that when a country like Romania becomes a democracy, the fight is not over – in fact it will carry on for tens of years.  A country does not wake up overnight able to completely change its regime and cast off the old in to the shadows forever.  This is something that the people of Egypt and others in the area will have to come to terms with very shortly.  The battle is won but the war is not over.

The software used included 3Ds Max, After Effects, Photoshop and the project was completed in 17 days including render times. The second in the series, below, warns the people of Romania to vote carefully, responsibly and to be aware of possible electoral fraud and political corruption.

Moneybird, Fly!

If you a little cynical (or rather more) about how the economic decline over the last few years seems to have least affected those who created it, then you will enjoy this immensely.

The song is entitled Moneybird, Fly! and it is a pastiche of Don McLean’s American Pie.  The lyrics are quite telling – and reflect the fact that a number of people are more than a little upset about having the economic rug pulled from under their feet.

This infographic style animation is done with panache and a rather dark sense of humor not to mention chagrin so it will not please everyone but hey.  You can’t please all of the people all of the time.

It made me smile at least.  The animation was created by Furryfish who are a creative studio founded in 2004.  Their remit, by their own admission is to engage fresh perspectives while delivering dynamic content in this era of visual communication.

Well, they get my vote.  As it were.

Be Caught

Image Credit Flickr User bixentro

The coalition government is only a few months old yet the cuts in benefits that the current UK administration is introducing is already proving unpopular and - of course - that means that protest art is on the rise once again.  Here the current Chancellor of the Exchequer (the guy in charge of the money) is seen on the left in the guise of a benefit thief.

Even better, the current Prime Minister, David Cameron, is seen on the right bearing his own placard, pleading with the world to make me pay back the benefit I steal.  This piece of stencil graffiti really made me smile.  You can find it in the Brick Lane area of London.

Coincidentally there is a new joke going arounf about George Osborne:-

What do you call it when you kill your father?
Patricide
What do you call it when you kill your mother?
Matricide
What do you call it when you kill George Osborne?
Countryside

Think about it.