Artist's Background
–Born in 1960
–“I feel a responsibility to people who don't have voices in this world--the poor, the disadvantaged. I can make a difference for them.” –Mike Luckovich (Bates)
–“Sometimes symbolism of a cartoon can overwhelm the message you are trying to get across.” –Mike Luckovich (Bates)
–Former door-to-door insurance salesman (Bates)
–Liberal stance (Bates)
–“I feel a responsibility to people who don't have voices in this world--the poor, the disadvantaged. I can make a difference for them.” –Mike Luckovich (Bates)
–“Sometimes symbolism of a cartoon can overwhelm the message you are trying to get across.” –Mike Luckovich (Bates)
–Former door-to-door insurance salesman (Bates)
–Liberal stance (Bates)
My Interpretation
Caricature
–Exaggerated forehead and hair, implies big headed
–Larger size of hand giving thumbs-down
–Open mouth invites viewer to laugh at Romney
Structure
–Picture flipped upside down to show obviousness of the lie
–Romney flips the facts to better represent himself
–Instructional pointer physically pointing toward inconsistency and punch line
Reference
–GM was part of auto manufacturers’ bailout
Text
–Ellipsis implies one in a series of lies
–Viewer must realize that text is falsified
Coloring
–Blue sky contrasted to the pink room suggests that the upside down view is actually correct, or natural
–Irony of Romney sporting GM colors of black and gold
–Exaggerated forehead and hair, implies big headed
–Larger size of hand giving thumbs-down
–Open mouth invites viewer to laugh at Romney
Structure
–Picture flipped upside down to show obviousness of the lie
–Romney flips the facts to better represent himself
–Instructional pointer physically pointing toward inconsistency and punch line
Reference
–GM was part of auto manufacturers’ bailout
Text
–Ellipsis implies one in a series of lies
–Viewer must realize that text is falsified
Coloring
–Blue sky contrasted to the pink room suggests that the upside down view is actually correct, or natural
–Irony of Romney sporting GM colors of black and gold
Other Interpretations
–Romney attempts to distort the fact that he voted against the bailout
Structure
–Literal flipping of picture refers to flip flopping his stance
–Exposes transparency of lie
–Emphasizes that Romney cannot relate to a certain section of voters
Caricature
–Very detailed facial features to identify him as Romney
–Romney’s hands very roughly drawn
–GM character drawn very generally to represent entire working class
Text
–Points out contradiction between what is being said and what is being shown
–“Mitt” name tag helped identify Romney
Coloring
–Light color makes the cartoon more of a joke
–Pink background suggest dream world that Romney is in
–Sky blue background in image suggests reality
–Contrast in colors suggest disagreement between image and statement
–Romney is making fun of current government decisions
Structure
–Romney is intentionally mocking Obama through flipping of picture
–Romney is not afraid to show his disapproval with current government decisions
Summary
–Cartoon interpreted both as critiquing and supporting Romney, though most agreed on critique
–Major techniques that were observed include detailed vs. general caricature, flipping the structure of the photo to expose deceit, and coloring to distinguish between reality and make-believe
–No clear connections based on backgrounds of survey respondents
Structure
–Literal flipping of picture refers to flip flopping his stance
–Exposes transparency of lie
–Emphasizes that Romney cannot relate to a certain section of voters
Caricature
–Very detailed facial features to identify him as Romney
–Romney’s hands very roughly drawn
–GM character drawn very generally to represent entire working class
Text
–Points out contradiction between what is being said and what is being shown
–“Mitt” name tag helped identify Romney
Coloring
–Light color makes the cartoon more of a joke
–Pink background suggest dream world that Romney is in
–Sky blue background in image suggests reality
–Contrast in colors suggest disagreement between image and statement
–Romney is making fun of current government decisions
Structure
–Romney is intentionally mocking Obama through flipping of picture
–Romney is not afraid to show his disapproval with current government decisions
Summary
–Cartoon interpreted both as critiquing and supporting Romney, though most agreed on critique
–Major techniques that were observed include detailed vs. general caricature, flipping the structure of the photo to expose deceit, and coloring to distinguish between reality and make-believe
–No clear connections based on backgrounds of survey respondents
References
Cartoon found at: Cartoonist Group. Web. 02 April 2013. <http://www.cartoonistgroup.com/store/add.php?iid=80951>.
Bates, Alansa. “Drawing Attention.” Web. 06 April 2013. <http://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns/sept95/luckovich.html>.
Bates, Alansa. “Drawing Attention.” Web. 06 April 2013. <http://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns/sept95/luckovich.html>.