The word "caricature" is derived from the Italian word for exaggeration. In the real sense, caricature is a way to expose the unflattering essence of an object in a funny or ridiculous way. In this way, everyday, social or socio-political situations that excite society are ridiculed.
The origins
Caricature in human life appeared many centuries ago. It seems that the image of reality in this vein has always existed. There was a time when a caricature, mainly of a political nature, was under the strictest ban.
The world's first caricature now known to us is the image of Ramses III, drawn on papyrus more than three millennia ago. Even today, the message of this heritage is clear, which showed the inappropriateness and comicness of the vain Ramses, who commanded to paint the walls of the temple with drawings of his personal life. For the modest inhabitants of Egypt, this requirement was excessive, so they spilled out their displeasure, creating various satirical images. The figure in question is currently stored in the British Museum.
A feature of the cartoon works of past eras was a significantly enlarged image of the head relative to the body. At that time it seemed very funny and funny.
Poetic Parodies
Since for the most part the satirical depiction of reality is expressed in an artistic way, poetic caricature as a genre does not exist. A caricature in verse is a parody of famous works that emphasize some imperfections of the original or its absurd sides.
In addition, the poetic caricature is small quatrains that explain and complement the satirical meaning of the cartoon or portrait.
To date, the poetic satire has been widely used in the field of statuses in social networks, and is also used as “smart thoughts” attributed to famous people. Often, a famous poem is taken as the basis of such a parody, which is redone to expose the comic side of a situation that has nothing to do with the initial work. A vivid example of such a caricature:
“Frost and sun are a wonderful day!”
Blue sky, hoarfrost on his face ...
You would be appropriate in January ...
But not in April ... not at the end! ”
Humor and caricature
Any caricature is created to ridicule a situation. But humor, like laughter, is different. More often than not, cartoonists expect a bitter grin over their truthful, albeit exaggerated, portrayal of reality.
Caricatures - funny, ironic, politically or socially sharp pictures. It should be noted that more often than not a smile is caused by a cartoon, which is a kind and peculiar compliment from the artist.
Modern caricature
Today, in our country, caricature is not an officially recognized genre, however, it is difficult to overestimate the influence of this informal trend on the perception of reality. Caricature is a way to identify and show the imperfections of not only a specific person, but of the whole society. During World War II, cartoonists supported the fighting spirit of Soviet soldiers by regularly releasing ironic and satirical images of fascists.
Caricature today has a vibrant personality, carries an obvious political message. Most often for caricatures, images of celebrities, athletes and politicians are used. Modern caricature is a reflection of the freedom of speech, which is growing, becoming more and more necessary, more urgent, sharper every day and no longer resembles the humor of the “big heads” of previous years.