IT MAY be a cliché, but the importance of humour must not be forgotten. It never does to get too swept up in a drama – not even a pandemic drama. That’s why we’ve commissioned some cartoons from Josh which we’ll be featuring over the next days.
It’s made me think about the origin of the word cartoon and my own ignorance. Why did they call Raphael’s Cartoons, cartoons? To my naive eye they look like finished paintings.
What do they have in common with Josh’s artistry? And with Hollywood cartoons for that matter?
Well, I find that the word comes from the Italian word which means heavy paper and refers to the sense of drawing a plan. In fine art it is the rough sketch of the beginning of a canvas or fresco or mosaic. The Raphael Cartoons are designs for tapestries. More here on this history for those interested.
The evolution of the use of the word for satirical drawings dates back to Hogarth known as ‘the grandfather of cartoons’. Josh is one of the latest exponents of a fine tradition – and long may it continue.
Here’s his first for us on life in the time of the coronavirus.
