Distortion of society in the retina of the viewer...

A Brief History of Caricature

Caricature is a type of illustration that depicts its subject in a humorous and ridiculous manner. Its main characteristic is exaggeration and overemphasis of certain prominent features of the subject, and the form in which this exaggeration occurs becomes particularly important. In Italy, if a human face was depicted in the form of an animal, it was called a caricature. A caricature is an image or word that ridicules the morals and personality traits of the subject. According to the reliable source, the book "History of Caricature," Musini published a collection of engravings in Bologna in 1746 AD, which were adapted from portrait paintings by Annibale Carracci. In the introduction to this collection, Musini (the publisher of the works) points out that Annibale had found a way to avoid the very tedious activity of painting in his (caricature) paintings. Here, the concept of "caricatura" appears for the first time. "Caricare" in Italian means to exaggerate and overemphasize. In England, most of William Hogarth's paintings (1698-1764) had such a characteristic.

Humor and irony, presented in painting in the form of caricature, have long held a unique place in the visual culture of the West and even Iran. In Iran, the existence of humorous examples that formed the genre of caricature took on a special form in painting in the early Safavid period, considering the political and social conditions of society. The presence of humorous images in the Isfahan school occurred due to social changes and modernization. Dehkhoda considered caricature to be of French origin and meaning ridiculous and mocking images in newspapers, that is, a laughable depiction of a person or subject printed in newspapers. This type of humor has also been presented in the past in the works of Behzad, Sultan Mohammad, and Reza Abbasi. Globally, "caricature" means exaggerated drawings of specific individuals' faces, and "cartoon" means exaggerated drawings in which social and political issues are examined, but in Iran, both are referred to by the word "caricature." According to the content of each work, it can be categorized into satire, lampoon, grotesque, fantasy, comedy, and black humor, respectively.

Caricature found its existence with the emergence of the press and the publication of newspapers in Iran. In other words, caricature in Iran began with the wave of press publication, coinciding with the Constitutional Revolution and the beginning of the people's awakening, which is also considered a direct result of the socio-political revolution in Europe.

Today, caricature in Iran is going through difficult times, and the stagnation of this art indicates serious damage. However, Iranian caricature has experienced significant growth in terms of technique and content in the last two decades. One of the fundamental problems among societies and governments is the lack of tolerance for opposing ideas and a spirit of receptiveness to criticism in the country. Meanwhile, the lack of job security and guarantees in this profession, the absence of a fixed wage, and the lack of specific support for caricaturists are among the reasons for the decline of this art. The press is considered one of the pillars of democracy, and caricature has reached its media peak in the context of the press, so that considering the message transmission and impact, caricature can be considered an independent art medium. The sharp criticism of caricature is considered one of the main pillars for the unique path of this art. In fact, the subtexts hidden behind a caricature destroy any theme and personality. This medium has the potential to express unspoken words in a humorous way and with minimal recklessness. However, with the decline of independent newspapers and magazines in Iran, caricature also became less popular. With the formation of a closed political atmosphere, the tendency of caricaturists to create an independent space in the world of the internet and on social media platforms took shape. Due to the democratic space of the internet compared to the press, caricature made an unprecedented move. One of the specific feedbacks in this framework was the audience's encounter with works on the internet, which was followed by various criticisms flowing fluidly. Caricature is also classified into various types: simple, satirical, comic, conceptual, and fantasy.

The period from 1953 to August 1954) was an important time for the publication of caricatures in periodicals. Organizations with different political orientations competed with each other and used all available means for this competition. In fact, these publications can be called political humor or political satire, which often considered a group or groups as the target audience of their satires and devoted a large part of the publication's content to it. It can be said that in Iran, in order to be seen, any writing or caricature had to take on a political color; otherwise, there was no possibility of paying attention to it. During this period, caricature moves away from artistic aesthetics and clearly and openly satirizes anyone and anything it wants. Because the nature of satire is to address specific people or things, caricature is inevitably clearly and openly satirizing specific individuals. In this era, caricatures were used in the direction of the goals and desires of political groups, and the works were fundamentally realistic-critical.

Caricature, like other arts, is a full-length mirror of the history and culture of nations and plays a major role in criticizing and analyzing the structure of society, but when the political dimension becomes prominent in a work, the aesthetic aspects of the work are minimized. One of the specific approaches of caricature has been the presentation of images of politicians. With a terrifying humor, a readily available mockery, and an underlying anger, this art depicts the politicized and violent world of society. Caricature is also an effort to express social aspects in the face of government approaches. In fact, caricature, through a metaphorical or ironic design, tries not to make the audience laugh but to make them think. Caricature has a close relationship with exaggeration and imagination and communicates even with a general audience with a creativity based on simplification.

The caricaturist artist behaves like a politician or a sociologist: caricatures, beyond form and appearance, hold a truth within themselves that perhaps can be deciphered over time. It seems that the artist moves from a concept towards creating and giving existence to characters and objects that can place the audience in the deepest socio-political currents of society. Here, the artist, like a musician, begins to write notes and simultaneously sees them being performed on stage. In these works, implicit goals and meanings are hidden in the underlying layers, so that much reflection is needed to discover them. The artist, by carefully examining society and sensitive historical situations, gives form, shape, and life to their ideas.
 

In Iran, due to social issues, we are moving towards the formation of a kind of political art of caricature, and indeed, the audience has also been trained to have a closer relationship with political caricatures. Caricature is a visual language with a touch of humor, which is a means of expressing the social and political responsibilities of individuals and their attitudes. Caricature is an unarmed struggle against racial discrimination, equality, freedom, and unjust laws and economic conditions and various issues.

Caricature, through distancing, creates a theme and message in the viewer's mind and makes the viewer reflect. Caricature has a universal language and criticizes universal issues through form and design. Many governments and regimes try to eliminate and abolish caricature, and many others use this art for their political and propaganda purposes. With its political approach, caricature offers a bitter and stinging message and a serious warning about the events of society. Caricature focuses on contemporary individuals, situations, conditions, and events (for example, the peak of caricature art was during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and America). The nature of caricature is political criticism, but through criticism of society, political figures, and social, economic, and religious conditions, it is considered an informative medium in itself. The language of caricature is a universal language because it uses symbols that do not need translation, and all humans are able to receive and understand the message hidden within it.

 

Bahman Rezaei and his artworks

Bahman Rezaei's body of work has an unprecedented breadth and has traversed a difficult but successful path over 60 years of activity. The artist, like a sociologist, has been able to examine and analyze all the details and surrounding issues of his society and present them in the form of a work of art and through the medium of caricature. The works are full of micro-codes that include political, social, ethical, and economic messages, and these micro-codes are so full of details that they can be understood as a collection of allusions about the general matter. The symbols express the artist's thoughts in the form of the language of caricature regarding the social and political issues of his time and have a sharp but ironic message. In these works, the creativity and aesthetics of the caricaturist are not the only comprehensible aspects, but his approach and view on important political and social issues have created a coherent and integrated combination.

Through caricature, it is possible to present thought, and in Bahman Rezaei's works, at first glance, when the entirety of the work is imprinted on the retina, the audience becomes silent and thoughtful, but when one looks a little closer, it is as if the meanings and concepts hidden in the images gradually reveal themselves, and in some works, the clarity of the theme is expressed explicitly from the beginning. In other works, through artistic minimalism, very complex issues are expressed using simple geometric shapes and in a combination of objects, plunging the audience into an ambiguous contradiction. The selection of an idea and then its execution through the medium of caricature is one of the characteristics of Bahman Rezaei's works that highlights his creativity and artistic talent.

In the “Miniature” collection, the artist's originality in understanding Iranian history and art, as well as his strong imagination, has reached its peak. In this collection, the revitalization of historical figures and their confrontation with modern-day people distinguishes the contrast between tradition and modernity and attempts to convey a message and warning to the audience about the disappearance of indigenous Iranian arts. Coherence in the proportion of the states of characters and objects has found real manifestation in this collection and shows Bahman Rezaei's ability in figurative design. The dynamic, delicate, and complex designs in this collection refer to Iranian miniatures, and this is the artist's tribute to this proud Iranian art. But the noteworthy point in this collection is the "frame within a frame" of each work: the miniature specifically expresses a subject without dimension and perspective, but the artist, by defamiliarizing this type of Iranian painting, has been able to present a modernist approach so that the audience is placed in an unexpected fluctuation.

In the "Freedom" collection, the artist, by employing pure simplicity in the decoration and décor of the situations, has been able to expose bitter and horrific subjects in a surreal way. In this collection, the issues of freedom, politics, media, and equality are criticized. One of the noteworthy themes in this collection is "war," which for years has inflicted serious damage on human existence in the Middle East as well as around the world. The artist, by employing a correct understanding of his geographical region, which has always been subject to aggression and encroachment by various countries, has been able to express a naked image of it. The use of alien forms in this collection has presented a kind of science fiction and strange atmosphere, in which the hidden aspects of violence in the human psyche can be seen behind the artist's gaze. The smiles of Rezaei's characters at the foot of the gallows herald a liberating laugh that conveys the message of freedom and liberation.

In the "Nails and Hammers" collection, the theme of power is central to the works, and with a modern approach, the subject and object are in opposition and sometimes exchange places. The use of precise and proportionate arrangement of images alongside each other, as well as coherence in the placement of elements within the frame, stems from the artist's masterful ability in visual composition. One of the characteristics of this collection is the clear presentation of the idea on paper, the powerful use of line and hatching, as well as the correct use of light and shadow. By focusing on societal issues, the artist sends a clear message to the audience and has also been able, with an instrumental approach, to display the opposition of thought and power, and the audience, when faced with the works, seems to review the fundamental discussions of determinism and free will in their minds.
 

The “Another Life" collection is where philosophical issues manifest in caricature, and the discussion of "death," which holds a special place in modern philosophy as well as existentialism, is highlighted. In these works, the audience is sometimes centrifugal, moving away from the center, and at other times centripetal, moving towards the center, as if each moment transforms from part to whole and whole to part. In this collection, the artist, like an orchestra conductor, has been able to examine different perspectives on death with an ironic humor, ridicule death, and consider humanity's striving for eternity as futile: skeletons that come to life and seek a supernatural body for eternal life in the underworld and the unseen.

With the "Natural Landscape" collection, Bahman Rezaei fully expresses his creativity in art, as if in his bitter gaze, there are hidden glimpses of aesthetics and optimism that embody hope. His mastery of landscape painting and simplification of nature evokes scenes from the renowned Iranian filmmaker, Abbas Kiarostami. Perhaps Ahmad (the main character of the film "Where Is the Friend's Home?") is the artist's lost desires manifested in his solitude with nature, or perhaps Behzad (the character of the film "The Wind Will Carry Us") is the artist who no longer tries to record events and occurrences.

In the collection of "Antiquities," the artist's concern for the ancient culture of the land of Iran is evident. The ability to present central themes related to Iranian culture and to give life to historical figures, the balanced and calculated expression of figures, the maturity in presenting characters, as well as precise coloring, are among the characteristics of this collection. This collection is a regression that takes the audience back to distant years, as if the history of Iranian art is being leafed through.

In the "Dailiness Living" collection, the confrontation of man with himself forms the central theme of the works. Throughout life, man has always been subject to questions that have changed the course of his life. One of the most important of these questions is what the artist has focused on: Does man have control over events? Or is it determinism that decides for him? In this collection, the artist, using an approach based on the opposition of rule and chance, examines everyday issues and, by simplifying man's presence in the world, ridicules life.

The artist's black comedy style is more evident in his journalistic works. His masterful exploitation of social, political, and economic situations expresses the artist's view on the current issues of society. In the opinion of this writer, Bahman Rezaei's most important work is a caricature of Amir Abbas Hoveyda, the Prime Minister during the reign of Pahlavi II. The characteristics of this work are such that by using semiotics and modern criticism tools, one can reach some ideas formed after the Islamic Revolution in 1979: Hoveyda is on the verge of falling from a horizontal bar, while his teeth are gripping the pipe with indescribable pressure.

The talent and aptitude for humor, which is a characteristic of caricature, has taken on an ironic aspect in Bahman Rezaei's works. The lines, composition, and framing of the works also contribute to this aspect and follow a specific path in line with the work's fundamental idea. Technical mastery and proficiency in drawing is one of the primary and acquired necessities in the art of caricature, which the artist has been able to use correctly through experience and practice. The use of cold colors and black and white designs directs the works towards a nostalgic look at contemporary history and everyday issues. Rezaei's works encompass themes such as freedom, war, death, history, media, and equality.

Caricature, as an art with a message, has been an important and influential tool for conveying political and socio-cultural concepts and transformations in sensitive periods and eras of the country's contemporary history, and Bahman Rezaei, with unparalleled dexterity in this field, has been able to play his role as a concerned artist. The artist's overall message can be attributed to social injustice throughout contemporary Iranian history.

Reza Latifi