为民主党和共和党的VP候选人画像 (图)

纽约时报的STEVEN HELLER请了几位漫画家为民主党和共和党的VP候选人画像，并加
以解释。智者见智，仁者见仁的言论自由。











September 14, 2008,  11:37 pm
Drawing the V.P. Candidates, By STEVEN HELLER

Political cartoonists and caricaturists have their jobs cut out for them this
presidential election. John McCain and Barack Obama have such distinctive
physical traits that they are almost caricatures themselves. Indeed, the
challenge for these illustrators is not capturing the top of the tickets but
rather the bottom. Although Joseph Biden and Sarah Palin are easily picked out
in a crowd, their satiric soft spots have not really been identified — or
targeted.
Of the two, Mr. Biden has been the toughest to capture. His conventional good
looks have so far made him immune to acerbic caricature and his drawn likenesses
have not been exactly accurate. Although his hair puffs up in the back like one
of those streamlined bicycle helmets, it is not a profound enough physical flaw
on which to create a comedic persona.
Ms. Palin, on the other hand, wears her distinguishing beehive-with-bangs
hairstyle and half-frame designer spectacles that, while attractive, are more
easily exaggerated at least in silly ways. In addition, her glossy lipstick is
an appealing focal point that allows the cagey caricaturist an opportunity to
radically distort her while still making her recognizable.
Of course, caricatures don’t only depend on a subject’s superficialities.
The best caricatures underscore statements the subjects have made and deeds
they’ve done, which contribute to the overall comedy or savagery of the
depiction. Ms. Palin’s background as a hockey mom and hunter has provided
caricaturists with certain key props, most notably guns. Mr. Biden, known to
some as pompous, does not have the same ready-made props. But his stately
appearance makes his look a good counterpoint to his opponent’s hometown
glamour.
It may be too early to perfectly capture the vice presidential candidates in a
caricature — it took years before cartoonists found the perfect George W. Bush
(big ears, large overbite and sleepy eyes) — but since the caricaturists’
primary job is to narrow in on their subjects as the campaign revs up, there
should be no excuse for mediocrity.
I asked some intrepid caricaturists to show what they’ve come up with so far
and their reasons why. They don’t necessarily have their final approaches
down, but they were willing to offer their first shots up for scrutiny.

http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/drawing-the-vp-candidates/index.html