Brenton
Michael Leunig
January 23rd 2009 04:56
There is little to describe the brilliance of Leunig. Michael Leunig is an Australian cartoonist, who is much acclaimed.
Leunig is a ‘Living National Treasure,’ shit-stirrer and a fairly definite lefty. His work though, mostly labelled political cartooning, is often focussed of spiritual, and philosophical themes. Often his works contain motifs such as plants, weapons, curly haired characters, angels and ducks.
The Melbourne Commonwealth Games was another moment where Leunig was recognised. The opening ceremony featured the journey of a ‘boy and his duck,’ based on Leunig’s work, and featured a poem by Leunig.
Leunig also writes Editorial pieces for Australian newspapers.
Some Quotes;
The best cartoons are also philosophical and poetic by nature, rather than slick and expert; they are sublimely ambiguous, disorderly and vague, and their purpose is not to nail things down but to open things up.
The man was most definitely me and the teapot, worn like a fool's cap, symbolized warmth, nourishment and domestic familiarity. The duck represented feelings of primal freedom and playfulness; qualities sadly lacking, I thought, from the world of political commentary and critical awareness. (On his first cartoon deviating from standard political cartooning)
How come the more bloody and brutal the world gets, the more a newspaper cartoonist is asked to be nice, witty, loveable and tasteful?
"Why do you criticise Israel and not the Palestinians?" Well, my work is usually humanistic, so in a universal sense it can be safely assumed that I'm deeply reluctant about anybody's violent policies or deeds.
There comes much vicious mail, much vitriol and great swathes of annihilating insults on those futile and frustrated hate blogs. When you're alone on the receiving end of such malice and loathing you get a privileged insight into what lies beneath the surface of our "civilised society". The Cronulla riots are only a small part of the sick mosaic.
Cartooning is nothing if not primal and emotional - the shadowy, natural truths and organic indecencies that make many readers and some intellectuals squirm and others laugh, inwardly at least.
More cartoon
Leunig is a ‘Living National Treasure,’ shit-stirrer and a fairly definite lefty. His work though, mostly labelled political cartooning, is often focussed of spiritual, and philosophical themes. Often his works contain motifs such as plants, weapons, curly haired characters, angels and ducks.
The Melbourne Commonwealth Games was another moment where Leunig was recognised. The opening ceremony featured the journey of a ‘boy and his duck,’ based on Leunig’s work, and featured a poem by Leunig.
Leunig also writes Editorial pieces for Australian newspapers.
a Typical Leunig Cartoon.
Some Quotes;
The best cartoons are also philosophical and poetic by nature, rather than slick and expert; they are sublimely ambiguous, disorderly and vague, and their purpose is not to nail things down but to open things up.
The man was most definitely me and the teapot, worn like a fool's cap, symbolized warmth, nourishment and domestic familiarity. The duck represented feelings of primal freedom and playfulness; qualities sadly lacking, I thought, from the world of political commentary and critical awareness. (On his first cartoon deviating from standard political cartooning)
How come the more bloody and brutal the world gets, the more a newspaper cartoonist is asked to be nice, witty, loveable and tasteful?
"Why do you criticise Israel and not the Palestinians?" Well, my work is usually humanistic, so in a universal sense it can be safely assumed that I'm deeply reluctant about anybody's violent policies or deeds.
There comes much vicious mail, much vitriol and great swathes of annihilating insults on those futile and frustrated hate blogs. When you're alone on the receiving end of such malice and loathing you get a privileged insight into what lies beneath the surface of our "civilised society". The Cronulla riots are only a small part of the sick mosaic.
Cartooning is nothing if not primal and emotional - the shadowy, natural truths and organic indecencies that make many readers and some intellectuals squirm and others laugh, inwardly at least.
More cartoon
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