By way of contrast I thought I’d write about a caricature piece I finished recently, to throw some light on the difference between composing a caricature and a realistic work.
Caricature, like realism seeks to communicate characteristics of a person or type of personality but differs in applying a formula of distortion, picking distinctive features and exaggerating them. In extreme form the effect is generally humorous and has been so employed from time immemorial. In the last century or so a sort of non-humorous, heroic caricature has become popular in comic books and the like. Illustration before the mid-twentieth century was broadly realistic or if caricature, humorous, so the development of heroic caricature is something new. Perhaps, as with the trend away from realism in fine art, it’s a reaction to photography or the technologies of mass reproduction.
The Napoleonic soldier caricatures I’ve made are meant to broadly follow the caricature formulas used by the well known caricaturists of the era, Gilray, Hogarth, Cruikshank ect. This formula uses some exaggeration of proportion, legs are either quite stout or absurdly thin, heads are a bit large, but not extremely distorted, facial features are exaggerated quite a bit and unlike many modern caricatures, there is no simplification but rather a lot of incidental detail. I adjusted this formula slightly in that I frequently chose features to exaggerate which are closer to modern character stereotypes than the way the Napoleonic caricaturists saw their subjects. This figure of Napoleon is a good example; he is generally characterized by English caricaturists of the time as a thin, hyperactive little man, a sort of militaristic Punch puppet. I chose instead to exaggerate brooding intellect (the set of the eyes and size of the forehead) egoism (the oversized hat and medals) and (popularly attributed) inferiority complex (overlong cloak, huge horse and high heels). For the face I chose distinctive features to exaggerate and enlarge at the expense of the more commonplace parts. Napoleon’s rosebud mouth, forehead, chin and lower jaw and to a lesser extent his nose, are all characteristic. One of the things which makes caricature so much easier than realistic sculpture is the degree of imprecision with which features and proportions can be depicted without in any way damaging the effect. It’s like fishing with explosives as opposed to a dry fly. To make a real portrait of Napoleon would require great exactitude and careful consideration, a caricature requires only a formula, simple choices and a few bold strokes.
I have to keep the pose simple because these figures must be robust and cast in a single piece since they are designed to be shot at with toy cannon. Napoleon is separate from his horse so he can be knocked off by a well placed ball.
