In 1840 O. Daumier turned to folk art, he began to print his "Illustrated Proverbs and Sayings" in the "Sharivari" magazine. Making fun of unlucky contemporaries, the artist made the caricature more emphatic with the help of a witty saying. F. Goya and Pigal also illustrate proverbs; Bushe created a series "Alive Proverbs". Very often folklore topics were used in political caricature, in literary discussions. In one of A. Lebedev's drawings one can see M. Saltikov-Tshedrin as a Russian folk warrior standing steadily on his books and cutting dragon's heads - those heads are the heads of his opponents.
In 1855 A. Annensky published his book "Proverbs in Caricature".
In the early XXth century some series of postcards "Russian Proverbs in Pictures" were on sale, they were very popular. G. Gross, in his own way, also used folklore in his works; J. Lada, a great expert in Czech folklore, created "Illustrated Idioms and Proverbs"; a Rumanian artist J. Perakhim philosophically generalized folk heritage in his series "Sayings".
During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) E. Lebedev printed "Illustrated Russian Sayings about Nazi" in the "Krasnoarmeets"("Red Army Soldier") magazine. M. Sine also published a series "Proverbs"; his associative works have social background and elements of "black humour". The figure of the caricature "Love is Blind" is a penniless blind Cupid in dark glasses, or "Unhappiness of some is Happiness of others" - the figure of a lady in mourning is dancing on the grave.
In 1970s V. Ivanov, one of the artists of "new wave", was the first to use the traditions of folklore in his works again. In 1980s S Ovcharov made a film "Old-fashioned Anecdotes for Adults", its cast was traditional characters of Russian folklore. At the same time two Bulgarian artists drew folk humorous characters in their caricatures.
An urban anecdote is also a kind of folk art. Who can illustrate it better but a caricaturist? There is a proof of it - a series of pictures in a collection of world anecdotes (1994) by Y. Kosobukin, A. Kazansky, and V. Kazanevsky
According to V. Dahl, "humour is a funny, sharp, and joking quality of human mind; it can observe and show oddities of habits and customs, boldness, and revelry of history sharply, but inoffensively".
1. The emblem of the
House of Humour (Leninakan)
4. Shrove mask "ram
forehead"
7. J. Lada.
"Illustrated Phrases". 1970.
2. E. Perakhim. Double-faced.
5. The emblem of Kindasovo festival.
3. E. Walter.
6. A Chechot. Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
8. V. Bogorad. "Children are not guilty that they are no longer children". (M. Kuzmin).
By Dmitry Moskin
Information supplied by: http://www.soros.karelia.ru