Monkey
The word "monkey" usually causes smile. This animal is our ancestor, a keeper of comic, of the features a person prefers not to see in him/herself: jumps, grimaces, tricks, mischief, vanity, pilfering, gluttony, etc. In the world history a monkey is a victim and its fault is in its choice of the own way of development unlike human being's one. C. Darwin tried his best to prove it quite convincingly and had become a target of caricaturists. The origin of man is one of the most favourite topics, indeed nobody likes to have a monkey even hard-working as an ancestor. Although some scientists think that labour means nothing. In 1908 when the 50th anniversary of Darwin's theory was marked the postcard of Darwin together with an ape looking at a nude girl was printed; probably a scientist and an ape were both surprised to see such an unbelievably beautiful result of evolution.

In the Middle Ages when people had no idea about "natural selection" monkeys used to be figures of laugh. They can be seen on the bas-reliefs of cathedrals as allegoric figures in monks' clothes and in manuscripts' illustrations. In one of the miniatures St. Christopher as a huge monkey was carrying a baby Christ. A monkey mask was typical in court masquerades. During royal dinner at Philip the Brave court in Brugge (1468) "monkeys" appeared in the hall and performed a sketch "Robbery of a Sleeping Pedlar" amusing the guests.

Probably, a monkey has become a figure of fun because of its nature and way of life, its curiosity and stupidity. Remember I. Krilov's fables: a monkey has not recognized its reflection in the mirror and could not realize that glasses should be put on the nose. People laugh at monkeys in Zoos, mock at it in caricatures. Basically, laughter at caricatures is directed towards people. Thus, in the late XIXth century P. Gauguin drew a "monkey" caricature devoting to the Governor of Lakaskada, Tahiti, and the artist exploited the double meaning of the word "magot (maggot)" - which means "monkey" and "treasure". Gauguin meant under "treasure" - governor's wealth got by bribes. In 1903 self-critical P. Picasso drew himself as a monkey. V. Khlebnikov, an innovator in poetry, was depicted as a monkey by Pyer-O.(S. Zhivotovsky) in the "Ogonyok" magazine in 1913.

J.-I. Granville advertised an album "Scenes of Public and Private Life" with the help of a monkey: a monkey was painting an advertisement of the publication of the album. A. Remizov, a Russian writer, characterized quite unexpectedly a revolutionary crowd and Bolshevism as a

"stinky triumphant ape". Bolshevism put an end to the unusual cultural phenomenon - Great and Free Monkey Club, founded by Remizov in 1908. It was a kind of fun , a secret society game, where the member of this society communicated like monkey gentleman and ladies.

It would have seemed strange enough if a monkey had not been used by political caricaturists. During the Second World War (1939-1945) Fascist Propaganda Minister Hoebbels was always described as a monkey. Later, the Soviet caricaturists drew imperialists as gorillas, and mods and abstractionists - as monkeys. As a matter of fact, monkeys sometimes drew pictures themselves. The most famous was an orang-outang Nonya, from Vienna's Zoo, who earned her living by selling her pictures.


1. Bomb's Big Brother. Caricature of Nikolai I. "Punch" 1856.


2. B. Efimov. The Main Thing is... 1927.


6. E. Shrader.


4. A. Zhitomirsky. A caricature of A. Dallas.


5. F. Reshetnikov. "Mysteries of Abstractionism". Detail. 1963.











3. F. Reshetnikov. "Unusual Mixture, or New Pure Aryan Look" 1941-1942.


7. R. Simeonov. 1977.


8. V. Ayauskas.