Lesson 2. Student Model for Aesthetic Scanning

Assignment 2

This Steve Benson cartoon was drawn in January 1995 when the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, spear-headed a bill to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts; NEA was a major supporter of Public Television. This would mean that Barney, the cartoon dinosaur, as well as Sesame Street, would be gone. Small children would be affected by this attempt to censure the art world. In the cartoon, Newt is portrayed as a "Newtoid" hurtling to earth to eliminate the dancing, singing Barney - just as the asteroids crashed to earth eons ago eliminating the dinosaurs.

Sensory Qualities: This cartoon shows a wide variety of lines. Hard, bold lines are used to shape the contours of the figures, while lighter lines are brushed on to indicate shading, color, or movement. The darker lines serve to contour and emphasize the figures as well as shape the composition. This cartoon is composed entirely of curvy lines. This creates an effect of buoyancy and seems to foreshadow the impact that will occur when the "newtroid" hits earth. In effect, the two rounded objects balance out the drawing evenly. The curves give the cartoon a lighter feel, which has a thoughtful effect when combined with the serious message. The texture of the cartoon is very rough, as given by the interlocking networks of short, light lines. It has the appearance of small ridges cut into the paper. As for color, it is simply black and white.

Formal Qualities: The cartoonist definitely exaggerated parts of Newt's face. The entire head has been "blown up" like a balloon, with the face squeezed and squished tight in the middle. Although Barney is basically drawn realistically (after all, his costume really is exaggerated to begin with), the cartoon is more abstract. There is no background to provide depth or surroundings to the characters. This is not a realistic event at all. (It is ironic to note that the fictional character is drawn realistically and the real person is caricatured!) As for conventions, the artist makes great use of speed lines around the newtroid. There are also a few facial lines that exaggerate his tight expression, as Newt braces himself for impact.

Expressive Qualities: The cartoon's subject is the congressional movement, lead by Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, to cut the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts, which funds many educational programs, including the Public Broadcasting Service. The cartoonist is against this decision, and clearly supports public funding for the arts. This is shown by a combination of both words and imagery in the cartoon. Newt is made fun of and turned into an inanimate object, a meteor. He's out to kill a warm, loving icon of children's education. The words further carry out and help to explain this situation in the terms of the historical event it is mirroring: the extinction of the dinosaurs. The cartoonist uses details such as Barney's song to show this message. The change in words spoofs the entire situation. As for symbols, the lovable character of Barney is used to represent the struggling Public Broadcasting Service, and the expanded head of Newt is used to symbolize him and his efforts to kill PBS. Barney's facial expression is one of complete and smiling innocence, while Newt's is one of almost eager anticipation (as seen by the small smile) at crashing into Barney. Barney's even and curvy lines show him to be at peace, while Newt's scattered line segments emphasize the anxiety and power behind his movements.

Technical Qualities: The artist uses cross-hatching to create the light and dark shading. This can especially be seen in coloring Barney, creating a slight ground line at the bottom of the cartoon. A patch of darkness is also used to emphasize Barney's text balloon in the upper left-hand portion of the drawing. The medium of the cartoon is not clear as it was taken out of a newspaper. Judging by the clearness of the individual lines and the fact that there doesn't seem to be any smudging, the cartoon was probably done in ink.

Judgmental Qualities: The cartoon is not done in very bad taste. Although it pointedly makes fun of a Congressional leader, it does not do so in a demeaning way. It merely relates Newt's attempts to cut art's funding to the historical context of extinction, in a humorous way. The cartoon is art and entertainment. It is art in that it contains a wide variety of sensory, formal, expressive and technical qualities. It represents a complete composition of forms, as well as contains a deeper meaning. It is entertainment in that it is fun to look at and it's message is a funny, well thought out, and unique concept. The cartoon doesn't seem to be calling for change so much as pointing out a problem. It obviously states that cutting funding for the arts is a bad idea. However, it doesn't really call for change by showing, for example, the bad consequences of a world without PBS (or Barney). It leaves this up to the reader to think about and decide for himself.

Sophia Accord

      

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