| dc.description.abstract | Abstract
1930’s Shanghai was a hub of old and new, western and eastern culture. Caricatures and cartoons, as new forms of visual art, reflected the qualities of modernity and the avant-garde no less than others forms. Caricaturists and cartoonists tended to gather together to produce rich and colorful works. Meanwhile, caricatures and cartoons were as important as words in the expression of public opinion.
The main idea of this thesis is that political cartoons (especially the portrait-caricatures) created by Zhang Guangyu in 1920s and 1930s, including the works published on Shanghai Sketch (Shanghai manhua), Modern Miscellany (Shidai), Decameron (Shiritan), Modern Sketch (Shidai manhua) and so on, not only displayed the gradual evolution of Zhang Guangyu’s innovative style but also revealed the intricate and interactive network of caricature, politics, print, and journalism.
Chapter 1 focuses on Shanghai Sketch, edited by Zhang Guangyu and others, a new periodical that demonstrated the rise of a new generation of caricaturists and their pride in doing caricatures and cartoons. Several regular columns devoted to portrait-caricature in Shanghai Sketch marked the beginning of caricaturists’ exploration of representing human features in a simplified or exaggerated way. The second chapter focuses on a series of sophisticated and modern political portrait-caricatures done by Zhang Guangyu and his brother Zhang Zhenyu that were published in Modern Miscellany. These works were not only influenced by western caricaturists, popular magazines and the Art Deco style but were also related to new interpretations on traditional Chinese folk art. Chapter 3 discusses the relationship between caricature and journalism. The shrinking sphere for open expression of public opinion in the 1930’s may have led to the popularity of satirical and humorous caricatures and cartoons. The covers of Decameron drawn by Zhang Guangyu were a successful example of blending the modern western fashion, the ancient eastern flavor, and keen but subtle political critique. In chapter 4 we see that these arresting political figures created by Zhang Guangyu may have foreshadowed a wider portrait-caricature trend. Furthermore, a widespread appreciation during this period for individuality and for humorous, witty criticism may have contributed to the popularity of caricatures and cartoons. Based on the rough analysis of these periodicals’ readers, the people who were most able to appreciate these caricatures were generally middle-class and young.
| en_US |