Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Well done

I do a lot of carping over stupid, derivative, obvious images. This cartoon by David Simmons of the Arizona Daily Star is an example of how the right treatment of a very obvious concept can be transcendant. Nice work. (Tip of the hat to Daryl Cagle)

4 comments:

ronnie said...

A remarkable image which to me begged the question - could it have worked as well without the shadow on the wall? Is the pose and are the props reminiscent enough of the statue that the average reader would've made the connection?

Regardless, props to the cartoonist for imagining an amazing and effective symmetry.

Sherwood Harrington said...

I think it could have worked without the shadow, but not quite as well for me. Not that I needed it as a hint about the pose, but it provides continuity, a reminder of the connections between this struggle for liberty and others that have gone before. Including our own.

Brian Fies said...

It needs the shadow.

Uncle Jed said...

I agree with the need for shadow. Another image from this story is the cover of the latest New Yorker, which is a woman in a green hijab examining a ballot. It was completely lost on my mother, who lives overseas and that image of the guy with the *painfully* thick glasses examining a hanging chad is not part of her image bank...