And Now, Here Is The News ...
The Age
Thursday April 6, 2000
If a picture tells a story, good cartoonists are essential in a world where people often don't have time to read.
A selection of some of the most politically incisive and satirical cartoons from 1999 are on display in the Bringing Down the House exhibition at the RMIT gallery. Ninety-six works are on display featuring Australia's leading cartoonists including Bill Leak, Peter Nicholson, John Spooner, Alan Moir, Cathy Wilcox, Ron Tandberg and Mark Knight.
The exhibition features issues as varied as East Timor, the republic referendum, the GST, the Sydney Olympics and the cash-for-comment inquiry.
The curator of the exhibition, Mr Guy Hansen, said political cartoons become historical documents that record the often-forgotten minutiae of the issues of the day. He said they dated back more than 100 years and had become an institution in Australian newspapers and publications. ``They are often the first thing readers look at and you can study them through the years and learn how the events that shaped our history were perceived at the time," he said.
Mr Hansen said Australia's involvement in East Timor led to cartoonists producing very powerful images.
``They were not amusing in the traditional sense of cartoons but they are moving and challenging images that captured an emotional time in our history."
A cartoonist with The Age, Mr Ron Tandberg, said he analyses the news and attempts to get behind the issue to present something fresh and witty.
``I try to add a dimension or interpretation to a story that is relevant, has an edge and will take the story further," he said.
An editorial cartoonist at The Australian, Mr Peter Nicholson, said he likens his role to being a ``heckler in the back row of a political rally". Done properly, he said cartoonists could make politicians break in their stride.
``They (cartoons) will continue to have a place because these days some people don't have time to read newspapers, so the cartoon serves their purpose because it can encapsulate an issue in seconds," he said.
© 2000 The Age