Pat Oliphant

Pat Oliphant (b. 1935) was a highly- respected syndicated political cartoonist, who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his work. His political cartoons offer powerful commentary on national politics in the US, along with major world events. Oliphant was especially active as a cartoonist in the 1970s through the early 2000s. According to Wikipedia, by the 1970s, he had become nationally recognized, and by the 1980s, his work was appearing in ~500 newspapers.

Oliphant's art is distinctive and his caricatured subjects are always recognizable. His perspective on political figures of the day is often biting; he says in drawing things that few would dare to say in print in local newspapers.

"An Informal Gathering" collects political cartoons from 1973 through 1977 -- a time period that can be labelled as late in "the Nixon years" through the early years of the Carter presidency. Most of the cartoons deal with issues and events that will be remembered by US citizens who spent their adulthood during this period. Nixon is recognizable as a dark, brooding figure, and Jimmy Carter, as a lightweight nincompoop out of his depth in the presidency. (See the cartoon that graces the front cover as an example).

I highly recommend this collection. Even many years after the events portrayed, its political cartoons range from amusing to acerbic, commonly thought provoking, and often powerful. If freedom on speech is ever lost in the US, it would be political cartoonists of Oliphant's talent and vision who would be among the first to go.… (mais)

Three cartoons portraying Germany as still a Nazi country, seemingly for wanting to restrict immigration; one cartoon with USA being overrun by immigrants. All of 9 cartoons portraying as idiots those who do not welcome homosexuals in the army, which must have been the big political topic in the early Clinton years? All drawn in a style different from prior years - the stripe-shade screen and the thick black outlines are gone, and has been replaced by a much sketchier style. A bit of a letdown for me, but I still think he is the best artist among the modern political cartoonists I know of.… (mais)