The art and politics of editorial cartoons

© 2008-2009 Rhodia Drive

Editorial cartoons, are one of the funniest but also wittiest and most effective forms of commentary. And it achieves the goal even without saying much. It can stir laughter or introspection, and at times controversy. The smartest ones always provoke the audience into thinking. With the advent of internet technology, however, only a few cartoonists managed to bring their game to the next level. It’s essential because the readers are getting much younger, and they’re moving away from the more traditional media. But they also need to be reached out, because they are ones who form public opinion, one way or another. It is for that reason, that we believe Ann Telnaes‘ animated work is so effective. And we just love it. Her work is published three times a week in the venerable Washington Post’s website. From the economy to the war in Iraq, Telnaes delivers the satirical punch like a true Pulitzer-winner that she is (only the second woman ever to do so). A native of Sweden, she obtained her Fine Arts degree, specializing in character animation, at the California Institute of the Arts. She was a designer at Walt Disney before becaming an editorial cartoonist. And the world of journalism is much better for it!