ORIGINALITY IN ART

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 71, 25 March 1933, Page 20

ORIGINALITY IN ART

DAVID LOW ON "CARI-

CATURE"

Before a crowded meeting of journalists—men and women—Mr. David Low delivered a luncheon-hour address on "Newspaper Cartooning and Caricaturing" at the Institute of Journalists, states "The Post's" London correspondent. With wit and satire he gave the history of caricature from its inception, and told of itß development into the cartoon as it is now generally seen. He mentioned, among others, Hogarth, Gilray (so eminent in the time .of George III), Philipon (who started "La Caricature" in Paris in 1830), Cruickshank, John Leach, Tenniel, and F. Oarruthers Gould; and he referred to the outstanding characteristics in the style of each one.

Cartooning now had become more of a commercial art than it used to be. The art of the caricaturist had been submerged into industry. He did not regard himself as. a popular caricaturist, indeed he received numerous letters from people who expressed themselves very frankly about the work which he produced, one correspondent telling him he had sunk so low that he would require a balloon, to take him to hell.

Mr. Low wished there was some enterprising editor who would start a paper after the style of "The Sydney Bulletin," and so give each individual artist a chance to develop along his own lines. There was too much tendency at present for students to be told to follow and study the work of someone else. The reason that so many cartoonists did well here was that they gained their early experience on "The Sydney Bulletin," where they were encouraged to give expression to their own ideas. One young ( aspirant— perhaps one who had been told to make Low his ideal—had written asking: "Will you please tell me what kind of pen you use!"

Each student of caricature needed the opportunity of seeing the people he had to draw and so be able to do justice to his subject. Some people considered F. C. Gould to be a bad draughtsman, but at any rate, he was an excellent caricaturist, and "got" his people every time.