Political caricature

Caricature was a widely practiced form of drawing by both sides during the Civil War. The predominance of political subjects, which are typically the focus of this type of creation, along with Spain’s own nineteenth-century satirical heritage, favored its popularity. In fact, it is often considered a precursor to the aleluya: a sheet of paper with small illustrations accompanied by generally rhymed explanations that became very popular in the nineteenth century, especially in Catalonia (where it is known as auca), and which was also promoted among Republican ranks during the Civil War, claiming its status as a form of popular art.

Hundreds of cartoons and illustrations appeared in a multitude of press outlets for both adults and children. Newspapers and magazines often featured a regular section of graphic humor. There were exclusively humourous publications such as No veas [You won’t believe it] or La Ametralladora [The Machine Gun], examples of those born on both sides during the war. There were also exhibitions and contests specifically dedicated to this type of graphic parody, and they were even published in album form, such as the one by various authors titled 30 caricaturas de guerra (Valencia, Ministry of Propaganda, 1937).

The area in which caricature stood out the most was probably in the representation of the enemy. Deformation and animalization—characteristic features of caricature—help to dehumanize, which was undoubtedly very effective when presenting the “other” through a ridiculous or even degrading portrayal. This is precisely what the cartoonist Kin (Joaquín de Alba) did with his biting cartoons that depicted Manuel Azaña in all sorts of mocking and belittling situations, such as this one, one that turns him into a dog under Stalin’s command. Many of his caricatures appeared in Noticiero de España, the official weekly news bulletin published by the rebel Press and Propaganda Services starting in September 1937. Additionally, Kin was the author of a caricature album project composed of drawings portraying Franco’s enemies and their communist allies in an absurd and offensive manner.

There were other outstanding graphic artists who dealt with political matters on the rebel side, such as Tono (Antonio de Lara), Lilo (Miguel Mihura), and AS (Valentí Castanys). On the Republican side, numerous cartoonists depicted antifascism from the left-wing ideological blend, including Bardasano, Aníbal Tejada, Bluff (Carlos Gómez), Les (Ángel Lescarboura), to name just a few.

IEG