From October 3 to 6, a conference was held in Montreal between members of the Association of Canadian Cartoonists (ACC) and those of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC). Here we are far from the conventions of large corporations (we think of doctors, scientists, etc.) who assume the costs for the guests. In our case, all participants pay out of their own pocket for their presence and it is thanks to a handful of volunteers who dedicate themselves to this art form that the smooth running of the activities is ensured.
Let’s put ourselves in context. We are in the city center, in the company of free thinkers, descendants of Honoré Daumier, sensitive and intelligent beings, who know how to express a popular idea in a simple and terribly effective way. And, day after day, publication after publication, these gifted characters allow themselves, with great strokes of their pen, to mock the king. Everyone finds it very funny and laughs… Everyone, except the king.
It’s been like this since the dawn of time for cartoonists, except that today, in the upper echelons of the kingdom, we find that the position of jester is no longer really necessary. “Why are there artists who exhibit us flamboyantly naked, far from our sumptuous finery? Why do they draw falsehoods about us who are so good? » ask the lords from their fortress.
No wonder cartoonists are losing their jobs one after the other. And we’re not talking about beginners here. We are talking about professionals who are well aware of the permissible limits and who are often showered with prestigious awards highlighting the quality of their work. But it is obvious that these limits are reaching staggering proportions these days. On a more tragic note, some others are even threatened with death and, in authoritarian regimes, some are in prison. Cartoonists Rights International was in Montreal to talk about it.
During this weekend full of illustrations, several guests amazed us with their conferences on the wonderful world of satirical drawing. We also brought to life the memory of Raoul Barré, Henri Julien, Aline Cloutier, Albéric Bourgeois, very great precursors among Quebec caricaturists. In short, it is in a convention such as this that we pay tribute, sometimes posthumously, to passionate creative people.
But let’s be realistic! Nowadays, the advent of the Internet has made the profession of cartoonist practically impossible to practice. There is always a king somewhere, who, at the push of a finger from his royal guards, receives an email presenting him with his real face that has been drawn somewhere in the world.
And so the ax falls, day after day, week after week, on satirical artists who are able to read the truth behind the facade and who have the insolence to draw it.