Cartoon

• 1. Origins In Fine Art

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  A full-size drawing made on sturdy paper once served as the blueprint for a grand fresco. This preparatory work, known as a cartoon, originated in the Middle Ages to guide artists painting on damp plaster over several days. The term itself derives from words describing strong, heavy paper or pasteboard. Artists like Leonardo da Vinci created these designs to ensure accuracy when linking component parts of a composition. Such cartoons often featured pinpricks along the outlines so that pouncing with soot would leave black dots on the wall. These drawings were then handed to skilled craftsmen who produced the final tapestry or stained glass window. Painters such as Raphael created famous examples now housed in London. Francisco Goya also produced tapestry cartoons that remain highly prized today.

• 2. Evolution Of Satire

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  Punch magazine applied the word cartoon to satirical drawings in 1843 for the first time. John Leech contributed sketches that parodied the preparatory cartoons for grand historical frescoes in the Palace of Westminster. Sir John Tenniel joined Punch in 1850 and contributed over two thousand cartoons over fifty years. The usage began ironically to describe humorous artworks found within magazines and newspapers. Modern single-panel gag cartoons generally consist of a single drawing with a typeset caption positioned beneath it. Peter Arno is considered by many to be the father of the modern gag cartoon. Charles Addams and Chon Day are other notable figures whose work appeared in magazines. Bill Hoest and Jerry Marcus moved from magazine gag cartooning to syndicated comic strips.

• 3. The Golden Age Of Print

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  Swiss comic-strip book Mr. Vieux Bois appeared in 1837 as one of the earliest humor comics. The British strip Ally Sloper first appeared in 1867 while the American Yellow Kid debuted in 1895. Books with cartoons became known as American comic books during the 1930s. DC Thomson issued the first The Dandy Comic in December 1937 with a revolutionary design. They followed this success with The Beano in 1938 which broke away from usual children's comics. These adventure comic magazines were popular especially among boys who wanted to read about glamorous heroism. Scott Adams and Charles Schulz created noteworthy humorous comic strips that defined specific eras. Mort Walker and Bill Watterson also contributed significantly to the medium of comic strips.

• 4. Political Cartoons And Power

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  William Hogarth produced pictorial satire regarded as a precursor to political cartoons in 18th century England. James Gillray explored the use of the medium for lampooning and caricature against George III. Thomas Nast used realistic German drawing techniques to pursue the criminal characteristics of the Tweed machine in New York City. His 160 cartoons helped bring down the organization and led to Tweed's arrest in Spain. Honoré Daumier famously lampooned the rotund King Louis Philippe under the July Monarchy in France. Lawsuits against cartoonists have been very rare until J. H. Thomas initiated libel proceedings in 1921. This case involved the magazine of the British Communist Party depicting events of Black Friday. Soviet-inspired communism tested the boundaries of libel law during this period.

• 5. Birth Of Animation

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  Stylistic similarities between comic strips and early animated films caused the word cartoon to refer to animation. Eadweard Muybridge captured running horses with photos which were later used for rotoscoping. The term is now most often used as a descriptor for television programs aimed at children. These shows possibly feature anthropomorphized animals or superheroes alongside child protagonists. Animation designates any style of illustrated images seen in rapid succession to give the impression of movement. Short films also rely on a sequence of illustrations for their animation process. The concept expanded into motion pictures and television animation during the early 20th century.