May 4, 2008
Pat Oliphant, who has been creating wickedly funny cartoons for 53 years, is famous for his drawings, but he also has been a sculptor for almost 30 years. He taught himself after being inspired by Auguste Rodin and Honoré Daumier, who did lacerating busts of French politicians. Oliphant's bronze "Rumsfeld" was made last year. The sculpture is on view through mid-July at an Oliphant exhibition at the Stanford in Washington Art Gallery, 2655 Connecticut Ave. NW. For information call 202-332-6235.
My business is villains. I must have villains, and Rumsfeld filled that bill perfectly, being one of the architects of this wretched war we're in.
His attitude, his whole demeanor, and indeed the name itself, suggested to me a World War I Prussian officer -- unbending, ramrod straight, brooking no argument, jaw, helmet, spike -- the essential Baron von Rumsfeld. Up under the helmet you'll find a monocle on his left eye.
In strict accuracy, Rumsfeld doesn't have a jutting jaw like that, nor does he wear a monocle, but he seems to. And that, after all, is what caricature is all about: perception. If you went line for line, feature by feature, over many of my caricatures, you'd probably find no resemblance at all to the actual subject. But the sum of those distortions eventually comes together as a conception of the whole. And, of course, working in three dimensions is more exacting, because the illusion has to be carried through when viewed from any angle. But it is also an added delight.
There is a popular misconception about political cartoons, in that everyone seems to think that they should be funny. That is not at all the point.
Humor is a very effective vehicle for delivering a more serious thought, not the end itself. It is often the sugar coating on a more bitter pill.
-- Interview conducted and condensed by John Pancake
PHOTOS: Patrick Oliphant; WEB EDITOR: Julia Beizer - washingtonpost.com
