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CartooningtheBody
ByDOROTHYHOWARDANDTIMGENTLES
(HTTP://THENEWINQUIRY.COM/AUTHOR/DOROTHYHOWARDANDTIM
GENTLES/)

(http://thenewinquiry.com/wp
content/uploads/2015/02/torchper383.jpg)Theriseof
cartoonimageryincontemporaryartmirrorsthe
wayscapitalismhasmadeusallmalleable

()

February25,2015

Animationwhichwasconsideredthepinnacleofearly
cinematicinnovationhascontinuedtobeassociatedwith
juvenility.ThoughSeptember2014markedthelastairingof
SaturdaymorningcartoonsonU.S.networktelevision(a
reflectionofdigitaldistributionsimpact),cartoonsarestill
widelyassociatedwithwhatchildrenwatchorwiththe
perpetualadolescenceembodiedbyadultcartoonssuchas
SouthPark,BeavisandButthead,andTheSimpsons.
Becausetheyevokeachildssupposedlypassiveconsumption
ofwhatevercontentisaimedatthem,cartoonstracea
politicalhorizondefinedbytheprofoundabsenceof
alternativepossibilities.Withintheglobalizedconsumer
culture,thepersistentpopularityofcartoonsreflectsthe
erosionofpoliticalparticipationinfavorofavirtualizedand
atomizedspaceofconsumption.Manycartoonsaredefined
byanaffectofinertiaandslackerdom,immersingviewersin
adolescentfantasyspacesthatwouldseemtorefuteanysense
ofpersonaltransformationorwiderpolitical
possibility.WhereSouthParkismarkedbythecurious
discrepancybetweenitsadultaudienceanditstoilethumor
obsessedeightyearoldprotagonists,BeavisandButtheads
experiencesarecenteredonthecouchfromwhichitstwo
protagonistsconsumeentertainment,weed,andjunkfood.

(http://www.f

(http://twitter

(http://thenew

()

Thedeviantattitudesofcartoonslackerculturereflectan
apathystemmingfromtheprecariousnessofbasiceconomic
andcivillibertiesthatnurturethefeelingofhavingsome
controloverourfutures.AmidthemoralbankruptcyofWall
Street,aneverencroachingsurveillancestate,massive
violenceabroadandathome,andtheconstanthypocrisyof
politiciansandthemedia,theriseofslackercultureandits
passiveconsumablesfromtheearly1990sonwardrepresents
arecognitionandreactiontoemergentglobaleconomic
conditions.
Inpuddle,pothole,portal,arecentSculptureCenter
exhibitionof23artistsincludingJamianJulianoVillani,
MarkyLeckey,WinMcCarthy,DannyMcDonald,Saul
Steinberg,andJordanWolfson,thecartoonistakento
representthemixtureofaffectsdeemednonproductive,
includingviolence,deviancy,adolescence,andlaziness.
JulianoVillani,forinstance,wholiftscartoonsfromavariety

(http://thenewinquiry.com/publications/magazines/)

ofcontextstocreateworksladenwithsymbolsofdramatized
sexuality,toldArtNewsinarecentinterview
(http://www.artnews.com/2014/08/22/jamianjuliano
villanitalkspainting/),Mypaintingsaremeanttofunction
likeTV,inaway.Theviewerissupposedtobecomepassive.
Insteadofalludingorwhispering,likealotofartdoes,thisis
artthattellsyouwhatsup.Itkindofdoestheworkforyou,
likeTVdoes.

(http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/cartooningthe
body/paintingsbyvillaniatzachfeuergalleryinhudson
ny/)
Thepuddle,pothole,portalshowlatchesontowhatmaybe
consideredalargertrendincontemporaryart:the
promiscuoususeofcartoonfiguration.Alistofartistsusing
cartoonimagerycouldbeeasilyassembledacrossgenresand
generations,andincludesyoungerartistslikeEdFornieles,
MarkLeckey,andRachelHarrison,aswellaspredecessors
suchasAndyWarhol,KeithHaring,ClaesOldenburg,andRoy

JamianJulianoVillani,Messy
View(2013).Courtesytheartist
andRetrospective

Lichtenstein.Whatthisexhibitionandmanyofitsartists
demonstrateisthecartoonizationofthebodyinresponseto
shiftsintechnologyandwhatcapitalcandemandoflabor.
Ascapitalismhasbecomemoreglobalizedandits
commoditiesmoreimmaterial,ithasseparatedproducers
furtherandfurtherfromtheobjects,ideas,andsubsequent
valuethattheyproduce.Andbydevelopingeverfaster
methodsofcirculationfastermediaandmarketsithas
alsoexplodedthebarriersthatoncecontainedthe
reproducibilityofimagesandideas.Bothofthese
developmentscanbeanalogizedtocartooningthebody.
Thecartoonreflectswaysinwhichhumanbodiesare
configuredtoservecapital,underminingthebodysalltoo
humanlimitationsanddrivingittoimpossibleformsof
immaterialexcess.Cartoonsdepictexaggerated,porous
organismsthatreadilyseepintoandspongefromtheir
surroundings.Cartoonsdontdepict
bodieswithinenvironments,butbodiespollinatingand
knottingwiththeirsurroundings,bothfeelingandbeingfelt.
Whilemaintainingaveneerofchildishness,cartoonsrender
theimagesbirthedinfastpaced,highvolumemedia
environmentsmoreeasilydigestibleandmoreimmediately
affecting.Cartoonsarenotablefortheeasebywhichtheyare
appropriated,reproduced,andcustomized.Simplicityofline
andexaggeratedfeaturesmakesreplicationeasy,asdotheir
ubiquityacrossmedia,whichmakesthemavailableasfound
images.Inthissense,cartoonsstandinfortheeasewithwhich
laborcanbeexpropriatedfromalaborforcethatis
increasinglymadeofinterchangeableparts.Cartoonsareboth
anabstractionandparticularizationofthebody.Theirreadily
malleableformsmimictheprofounddepersonalization
broughtaboutbytheconstant,acceleratedshufflingof
symbolicmeaningsintheorderingofthesocial,evenasthey
arehypercustomizable.
Duetotheirelasticity,cartoonizedbodiesarepronetoactsof
violence,massivelycapableofabsorbingandrecoveringfrom
violence,andaresubjecttoinhuman,bottomlessappetites.
Thisisliteralizedmostobviouslyinthedesperateandviolent
shenanigansofWarnerBrothersLooneyTunescartoons.The

RoadRunnerandWileE.Coyote,forexample,farcically
enactskitsinwhichtheyconstantlygiveorreceivepainful
blowsbutsomehowalwaysmanagetoavoiddeath.
Allegorizingtheworkersbodyundercapitalism,these
cartoonfigurestoileveronwardyetabsorbendlessamounts
ofpainintheprocess.
Asdepictedinart,cartoonsarenotjustmassobjects,capable
ofunderminingartspurityandautonomy(althoughthey
haveoftenservedthisfunction).Theyalsooffernewwaysof
imaginingtherelationshipbetweenimages,bodies,and
things.AsRubaKatribnotesinthepuddle,pothole,portal
catalog,thespecialthingaboutcartoonsisthattheycando
thingsthatwecannot.Theirabilitytobothrepresentthe
physicalbodyandtostretchitinimpossible,gravitydefying
waysoffersauniquewayofrepresenting,inallegoricalform,
theimmaterialcontortionsthatshapethepresentera.
Artistshavelongbeenawareofthissubversivepotential.For
instance,intheearly20thcentury,DadaartistHannahHchs
contorted,collagedbodies,piecedtogetherfrommagazines,
depictedbodiesfluidlyextendingintothecapitalistspherebut
alsobeingbrokenbytheirnewfoundcontortivepossibilities
anddisembodied.

(http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/cartooningthe
body/hannahhoch/)
Inthe1990sand2000s,megaartistsDamienHirst,Takashi
Murakami,andJeffKoonsuseddepictionsofcartoonsor
cartoonizedbodiesintheirworktoupendviewsofartists
agencywithinarapaciouslycapitalisticenvironment,asBen
Davisdiscussedin9.5ThesesonArtandClass.Koons,for
example,reconceivedofhisFlowerPuppysculptureasagiant
paradeballoonforthe2007MacysDayParade,embracing
thecommerce,populism,andadvertisingoftheparade
spectacleanditsprerequisites.

HannahHch,CutWiththe
KitchenKnifeThroughtheBeer
BellyoftheWeimar
Republic(1919),StaatlicheMuseen
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staatliche_Museen),Berlin
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin)

(http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/cartooningthe
body/macys_rabbit_balloon2b/)
Butmorerecently,cartoonfigurationincontemporaryarthas
intersectedwithmemeenvironmentslike4chanandTumblr,
wherecartoonshaveprovedamenabletotheseplatforms
favoredformsofiterativeadaptationandrecirculation.
Cartoonizationsofthebodyliteralizethenetworkedqualityof
imageswithincontemporaryart,whichincreasinglycirculate
ontheinternetandinmasscultureandareauthoredby
multiplecreatorsandsubjectivities.
Theinitialemergenceofthecartoonedreadymadeinart
pointedtoashiftawayfromtheartistascreatortotheartist
asadynamicconsumer,ananimatorofculturalformsand
ideasthatmayoperateindependentoftheartistscontrol.In
theworkofSigmarPolke,cartoonfiguresareusedtomarkan
intrusion,amelancholicmalfunctioningofthespaceof
painting,pointingtotheimpossibilityofautonomyin
postmodernmassculture.Polkesgaudyworkfromtheearly
80swhichmixedillustrativefigureswithtextiles,
photographsandabstractsquallsofpaintsuggestsan
increasinginstrumentalizationofbodiesinserviceof
producingsocialandaestheticmeaning.Cartoonsmirrorthe
positionoftheartist/consumerhybridproducedbyimage
drivencapitalism.

JeffKoonssMacysThanksgiving
DayParadeBalloon

(http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/cartooningthe
body/sigmarpolke/)
WherePolkescartoonssuggesttheintrusionofcapitalism
(http://thenewinquiry.com/publications/magazines/)
intothemostprivateaspectsofeverydaylife,JordanWolfson

exploresthissamerefusalasafullblowndescentinto
perversity.Theartistslurid,sexualizedcaricaturesdocument
thesplinteringofcontemporarysubjectivity,inwhich
identity,cutandpastedfromoneincongruouscontextto
another,isreducedtowhatRichardBirkettcalls
(http://www.davidzwirner.com/wp
content/uploads/2014/06/140501JoWFlashArt
Birkett.pdf)aparticularlyrabidculturalmeme:fluid,
infinitelyexchangeable,andsubjecttofrighteningoutbursts.
InWolfsons14minutevideoRaspberryPoser,anAlfredE.
Newmanlikekidcleaveshisstomachandthenplayswithhis
organslikespaghetti,makesbluntsmokeosandthen,stuck
behindthebarsofacage,dancesatopacartoonelephant.In
a2013interviewwithEstherLeslie
(https://soundcloud.com/chisenhalegallery/jordanwolfson
inconversation),Wolfsondescribeshisprideinnotalways
beingconsciousofwhatheisdoing,anattitudethatreflects
therealityofmassimagecirculationandappropriation,which
hasdilutedtheartistsresponsibilityforthemeaningsand
effectstheirworkmightgenerate.

SigmarPolke,Untitled(1983)Bild
Kunst,Bonn

Theemploymentofcartoonimagerymarksan
acknowledgementoftheartistslossofautonomy,oftheir
beingthesoleproprietorofanartworksmeaning,andthus
constitutesarecognitionoftheroleofmediationinart.The
fluidityandflexibilityofcartoonsassymbols,theireaseof
reproducibility,theircirculationasbranding,andtheir
mythologicalqualitiesmakethemidealrepresentationsfor
expandingdefinitionsofartisticagencywithincurrent
prevailingeconomicconditions.

Previouslyby
DOROTHYHOWARDANDTIM
GENTLES

Beyondthis,theculturalproliferationofcartoonsin
particularandanimationmoregenerallyreflectsthe
increasinglyambiguousstakesoflifeitselfatamomentwhere
thehumansubjectwouldseemtobeincreasinglysubjectedto
itsownretoolingatthehandsoffinancecapitalandthe
algorithmicprogrammingofsocialmedia.Attheheartof
animationisalwaysaquestionofagency,whichremindsusof
thesubversivepotentialofbreathinglifeintodeadobjects.

(HTTP://THENEWINQUIRY.COM/AUTHOR/DOROTHY
HOWARDANDTIMGENTLES/)

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