Artist's Background
–Born in 1970
–Lifelong Catholic, draws on faith for inspiration (Novecosky 2009)
–“Cartooning is all about comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. It’s sticking up for the little guy, and that is one of the basic principles of Christianity. I try to show a respect for life in all my work. I’m consistently pro-life on everything from the death penalty to abortion to stem cells and euthanasia — even to being in favor of gun control and [opposing] unjust wars. I think that’s a consistent theme and a Catholic theme.” – Steve Breen (Novecosky 2009)
–“If you’re just out for blood or being mean-spirited in the cartoon, you can lose people — especially if you do it on a consistent basis.” –Steve Breen (Novecosky 2009)
–Lifelong Catholic, draws on faith for inspiration (Novecosky 2009)
–“Cartooning is all about comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. It’s sticking up for the little guy, and that is one of the basic principles of Christianity. I try to show a respect for life in all my work. I’m consistently pro-life on everything from the death penalty to abortion to stem cells and euthanasia — even to being in favor of gun control and [opposing] unjust wars. I think that’s a consistent theme and a Catholic theme.” – Steve Breen (Novecosky 2009)
–“If you’re just out for blood or being mean-spirited in the cartoon, you can lose people — especially if you do it on a consistent basis.” –Steve Breen (Novecosky 2009)
My Interpretation
Caricature
–Frailty is the focus, large chin and nose
Motion lines
–Expose bad technique
–Emphasize no forward motion, just struggling to stay afloat
–Water (and other countries) are passing US
Text
–Allows viewer to identify meaning within seconds
Symbolism
–Old ball and chain, Obama cannot detach himself
–Economy is already sunk (pun)
–Thick black bottom line (pun), Obama overspending above the bottom line
Coloring
–Gloomy skies contrast brightness of water
–Frailty is the focus, large chin and nose
Motion lines
–Expose bad technique
–Emphasize no forward motion, just struggling to stay afloat
–Water (and other countries) are passing US
Text
–Allows viewer to identify meaning within seconds
Symbolism
–Old ball and chain, Obama cannot detach himself
–Economy is already sunk (pun)
–Thick black bottom line (pun), Obama overspending above the bottom line
Coloring
–Gloomy skies contrast brightness of water
Other Interpretations
–“Just because someone is President for more than three years doesn't mean he has any way to influence the economy! It's completely separate from the government, and nothing the government does has any effect on it!” –Andrew Wheeler
–Economy would be the only thing that could prevent Obama’s re-election, capable of going forward otherwise
Symbolism
–Comparison of Obama’s capabilities to an Olympic swimmer
Caricature
–Long body, fingers, and feet suggest Obama is a very good swimmer
Coloring
–Dark background emphasizes ominousness of struggle
–Obama is held back by the economy from completing other tasks as president, may helplessly drown in the struggle
Caricature
–Worried facial expression
–Obama’s scrawny body is emphasized by size of weight
–Dark skin identifies Obama
Bubbles
–Emphasize struggle
Text
–Makes symbolism of “ball and chain” very clear
Coloring
–Topic treated lightly through bright, playful colors
Symbolism
–Weight as economy constraining Obama
Summary
–Cartoon interpreted both as favoring and critiquing Obama
–Major techniques that were observed include symbolism of ball and chain as the economy, thinness of swimmer’s body, and struggle shown by bubbles
–Disagreement about coloring reflecting an ominous or playful mood
–General confusion about connection to the Olympics
–No clear connections based on backgrounds of survey respondents
–Economy would be the only thing that could prevent Obama’s re-election, capable of going forward otherwise
Symbolism
–Comparison of Obama’s capabilities to an Olympic swimmer
Caricature
–Long body, fingers, and feet suggest Obama is a very good swimmer
Coloring
–Dark background emphasizes ominousness of struggle
–Obama is held back by the economy from completing other tasks as president, may helplessly drown in the struggle
Caricature
–Worried facial expression
–Obama’s scrawny body is emphasized by size of weight
–Dark skin identifies Obama
Bubbles
–Emphasize struggle
Text
–Makes symbolism of “ball and chain” very clear
Coloring
–Topic treated lightly through bright, playful colors
Symbolism
–Weight as economy constraining Obama
Summary
–Cartoon interpreted both as favoring and critiquing Obama
–Major techniques that were observed include symbolism of ball and chain as the economy, thinness of swimmer’s body, and struggle shown by bubbles
–Disagreement about coloring reflecting an ominous or playful mood
–General confusion about connection to the Olympics
–No clear connections based on backgrounds of survey respondents
References
Cartoon found at: Wheeler, Andrew. Editorial Explanations. (2012) Web. 02 April 2013. <http://editorialexplanations.blogspot.com/2012/08/that-michael-phelps-has-some-creepy.html>.
Novecosky, Patrick. “Cartoonist Draws on Faith.” The Praetorium. (2009). Web. 02 April 2013. <http://thepraetorium.com/tag/steve-breen/>.
Novecosky, Patrick. “Cartoonist Draws on Faith.” The Praetorium. (2009). Web. 02 April 2013. <http://thepraetorium.com/tag/steve-breen/>.