Seasons Greetings to all our readers, to our contributors, and to our very good friends, of whom there are many indeed!
This year we are honoured that our Christmas cartoon was created by the esteemed Ukrainian artist Alexander Kudriavchenko.
“The renowned painter (born 1975) is a graduate of the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture of Ukraine and a grand holder of Fundación Valparaiso in Mojácar, Spain in the years 2010 and 2017.
“His painting style – from very traditional to extremely modern – is characterised by an amazing and harmonious combination of dynamic anxiety and internal silence.
“Kudriavchenko’s works are full of motion and challenge, and yet these aspects seem unattainable, embedded in a meditative state of mind.
“His painting “Rouge” won the second prize of the Paris Salon d’Automne (2002) and the painting “Stop in the desert” was exhibited at the Salon SNBA 2004 in Carrousel du Louvre, Paris,” – Werner Verbist, international art dealer.
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From a journalistic perspective, whilst cartoons remain a relevant form of political parody and satire – The Times Peter Brookes, possibly the leading exponent of the genre today, certainly in the UK, is a true master – in bygone days before photo-journalism the political cartoon was cutting edge stuff.
Punch magazine, first published in 1841 in London by Henry Mayhew – his book ‘London Labour and the London Poor (1851) was a definitive work that drew heavily on cartoons to bring to the public attention the plight of London’s slum dwellers – and wood-engraver Ebenezer Landells remained in print until 2002, and is much missed.
Punch also published a Christmas cartoon each year…
This, from 1851, depicts a scene in a London workhouse, a grim home for the destitute.
Here the Guardians, who were responsible for the institution, are depicted on their knees serving the poor.
In reality, it is unlikely the Guardians would have have ever set foot in the workhouse.
But there are still some – in these politically correct times in which all expressions of humour are likely to be deemed offensive to some person or persons generally unknown to the complainant – who enthusiastically keep the tradition alive.
So we can leave the final word to Matt Pritchett of the Daily Telegraph, who is never shy.
The butt of the joke is, of course, a certain member of the Royal Family, who I suspect will love it!
