Editorial cartoonist Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher proves generations of preschool teachers wrong by creating cutting political cartoons that illustrate how words (and in this case drawings, too) can be far more painful than sticks or stones-at least as far as the ego is concerned.
An exhibition including nearly 100 pieces of Kallaugher's work entitled Mightier than the Sword: The Satirical Pen of KAL is on display now in Duke's Rubenstein Hall, located in the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy.
Kallaugher graduated from Harvard in 1977, at which point he went on a bike tour that started in the British Isles and led, unexpectedly, to a job at The Economist as the first resident cartoonist in the 145-year-old-newspaper's history. Kallaugher remained in London for the next 10 years, an experience that informed his subsequent commentaries on American society.
"When you're an American living abroad, you are held personally responsible for everything that goes on in this country," Kallaugher said. ".And what this means is if you're conscientious or concerned about the world, you start to reflect and assess those things that go on in your country in a comprehensive and critical way. And because you're far away, you get a different perspective."
Kallaugher, now residing in Baltimore, still regularly creates illustrations for The Economist. Cartoons in the exhibit draw from this work, as well as those that he produced from 1988 to 2006 when he was the editorial cartoonist for The Baltimore Sun. As a result, Kallaugher's exhibited drawings span decades of history. However, the politically illiterate need not be daunted-notes that clearly explain the social context in which the drawings were made accompany many of the works. Topics addressed in the display range from the funny to the serious, with humorous satirical commentaries on politicians and their actions sharing wall space with intense, insightful chronicles of important and often tragic global events.
For example, one cartoon in the show depicts an elephant-eared George W. Bush nonchalantly snacking on pretzels while a swarm of security personnel look on anxiously. A nearby drawing sets a much more somber tone, showing Uncle Sam and The Statue of Liberty arm-in-arm, both gazing at the smoke emanating from a gap in the New York City skyline. Though the two illustrations differ drastically in mood, they both do what Kallaugher wants them to do-they force the viewer to think about Kallaugher's intended message.
"I tell people that I'm a cartoonist. But my job as a political cartoonist is not to make you laugh, my job is to make you think," Kallaugher said. "And I do use humor, of course, but I use humor as a vehicle for a message. So the humor is not the end, the message is the end."
Once the initial laughter subsides, Kallaugher's cartoons effectively increase political awareness. Yet Kallaugher says that the majority of his cartoons would be more successful if he were given more time to work on them.
"I know that if I had a chance to do virtually every one of those cartoons again, if I could redraw it again from scratch, then I could improve it," Kallaugher said.
Viewers of the show have the opportunity to see one of the few drawings Kallaugher deems an exception-a cartoon from 1989 entitled "Black and White."
"It was a very simple stock cartoon that really captured the spirit of the moment. It was right at the time when the Apartheid regime was ready to fold, and yet those in power did not seem to see the portending changes," Kallaugher said. "And the cartoon really seems to capture that in a powerful way. So I look at that cartoon and say, 'Wow.'"
Because nearly all of the drawings in the exhibition are originals, Kallaugher's working process is rendered transparent-you can see Kallaugher's individual marker strokes, as well as where he corrected his mistakes with white-out. The resulting imperfect images contrast strongly with the flawless mechanized reproductions that appear in magazines and newspapers.
Consequently, the viewer is forcibly reminded of the artist, and the opinions, behind the drawings. Technical mastery and thought-provoking subject matter aside, the exhibition illustrates that Kallaugher's talent is his ability to create such a large effect just by wielding a pen. Looks like it's about time to change that old adage.
Mightier than the Sword: The Satirical Pen of KAL will be on display at the Sanford Institute throughout the 2007-2008 academic school year.
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