July 2008 Issue

Primary Colors
The meaning of political art: from an artist’s standpoint

By Geoffrey S. Crowell

Political art is a genre that is seen all over, in newspapers, editorials, museums, and even inside the White House. Some are known for their simple humor, based on that person, place or thing, as other forms are known for having an in depth intellectual meaning on that particular topic. So in general, what is the true meaning of political art? Does it signify a deep meaning, which will require time to solve, or is it simpler than it looks? The fact of the matter is it can be both, and not only that, but also descend into many different directions.

Portrait of U.S. President Lyndon Johnson

In an artist’s perspective, the true meaning of political art depends on that particular artist, and what kind of art it is. If the political art leans more on the traditional approach, like paintings, the meaning could be as in depth as the artist makes it. As artists, we have our own style of opinion and perspective, and the particular work can be as detailed as Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidential painting holding a book, or as simple as two abstract brush strokes on the whole canvas, with the artist saying it represents the Two Towers of 9/11. We artists were trained to signify our own special meaning within our works. The meaning can be simple, but to some, the fun part is to make the meaning deep enough for the viewers to guess what the piece truly means.

Now, if the political art leans toward the editorial side; a cartoon, a poster, or an ad. It is however, simpler than you think. Even though the look of it appears to have a deep meaning, but to the artist, especially the ones who produced the work, it hardly gives a meaning at all.

“ I Want You” recruiting poster by J.M. Flagg

The concepts of ads and posters are a great example. Take the very famous Uncle Sam Poster, “I Want You,” created by the artist, J.M. Flagg. Now the question is how did he come up with this concept that impacted the whole country during the war? Very simple. He just drew a picture of himself and then incorporated the “legendary tale” descriptions of Uncle Sam, thus making himself an elderly man with white hair, wearing red, white, and blue with a top hat. Not to mention the “I Want You” idea came from a previously made ad from the British army.

Briton’s “I Want You”

In the editorial cartoon aspect, an artist creates them solely based on what current event is going on or what the particular topic is. Why do you think the presidents, or any politician, always has some sort of exaggerated feature, like Bill Clinton’s big round jaw and cheeks, Nixon’s significant long nose, Ross Perot’s big ears, or George W. Bush’s constant resemblance of a chimpanzee? It is simply because the political cartoons are as simple as any one of those people going to the town fair and buying themselves a drawn caricature. The same goes for any particular events that are happening, oil, gas, or the feuding donkey and elephant representing the Democrats and Republicans. Those instances are always shown symbolically in the cartoon, but shown simple enough where every person should understand it, in addition to the fact that each cartoon has a bold label describing that item.

Nixon, "unindicted co-conspirator"
Published in The Washington Post, July 14, 1974.

There are many examples that can be explained to signify the true meaning of political art, but overall, this form can have all different kinds of meanings, not just one. What political art means from an artist’s perspective depends solely on what the artist sees. However, there are some cases where the cartoon does have a deep significant meaning, and it takes a viewer a while to try and figure out what the artist is saying in that particular work. Also, there’s a case where the concept is only created by an editor or boss and he or she uses the artist’s talents to produce the vision. There are some instances like that, but in my personal perspective as an artist, the majority of concept comes from the person who produces, and that is none other than the artists themselves.

Send comments about this article to info@clubrelaford.com