Evening star., 1943-07-04
Bv Leila Mechlin.

The Corcoran Gallery of Art viii
be closed today, this being Ihe 4tf
Of July, but will be open all day
tomorrow from 9 am. to 430 pm.
when special exhibition of origina
cartoons by Clifford K Bergman
cartoonist of The Star, will have ar
initial showing.
The collection. which will fill three
galleries at the south end of the
main floor, will be largely retro
spective, covering the greater part Of
Mr.. Berrymans distinguished pro-
fessional career, and the immediate
occasion Of its showing is the 50th
anniversary Of the wedding of Mr.
and Mrs. Bergman, which comes
at this time.
This inSures interest enough alone
but, in addition, a very particular
interest is to be found in the draw
ings themselves, especially at this
time when cartoonists have large
part to play in the great war effort
Indeed there is no art which speaks
more directly to the people in time
of stress and strain than this, and
none is more democratic.
There is close relation between
caricature and cartoon inasmuch
as both employ exaggeration, and
20 an extent ridicule Also they
both bark back many centuries tc
the time when primitive man first
discovered his funny bone" and the
potentialities of laughter. The
word caricature is derived from the
Italian "caricare,' which means to
overload, or drag weight a little
heavier than the vehicle can carry;
a nose, for instance, abnormally
large is made larger by the carl
caturist-an action is transcribed
with undue force In Venice. when
some of the artists caricatured
people as animals, the name carl
catura" was given.
But, of course, the art actually
came into its own with the inven-
tion Of printing even though it did
not until long later acquire its high
place, with the granting of freedom
to the press. Furthermore, as the
late Charles Ashbee once pointed
out. its power and danger and charm
are largely derived from the press,
through which it reaches the widest
possible public.
An Inspired Pen.
None recognizes this fact more
certainly. or illustrates it in his
u-nrlc tr111r thoy, TiForl
Bergman, who can, when occasion
calls for it, hit hard, but who almost
invariably is inclined to temper his
blows with kindness. The laugh
Is just under the surface or around
the corner Naturally gifted, he has
acquired. as time has passed, ex-
ceptional technical skill, His pen
or his pencil seems to be inspired,
so ninble is it and so tractable-
saying just enough to convey a
pungent meaning and no more.
Both the caricaturist and the car
toonist carry large responsibility as
Interpreters of facts, exposers of evil.
leaders of thought. The best way, it
is said. to get rid of humbug is to
laugh it off. Mr.. BeTyman's roug-
tsh little Teddy bear has brought
many a smile to a sober face with
out lessening the actual cause for
seriousness. To be cartooned by him
is esteemed compliment, not a
discourtesy, even if the laugh is
against the one cartooned. No man
has more friends nor fewer enemies.
To be good cartoonist one must
know the human body and be able
to visualize it in any position in
which it may be placed. Also it is
essential to be able to produce
telling likeness and an expressive
one. The cartoonist must command
his medium and with few telling
strokes, spe-. as it were, forcefully
and significantly.
The art Of the poster maker ap-
peals chiefly to the eye; that of the
cartoonist, which must also strike
at one blow, must be thought
provoking and indicative. The good
cartoonist, we are told, must be like
q sensatized plate in happy sunlight.
quick to catch the movement and
meaning of life. One cannot afford
to be trivial
A Fertile Brain
When it comes to the making of
political cartoons, especially in war
time, difficulties are greatly in
creased, for in such times the car
:oonist must keep step with the news
IS far as possible or be left behind.
He must keep his imagination and
creative power (bridled, of course,
by facts) always on the jump. 1t is
difficult to even comprehend what
fhis must mean when cartoonist
has, as Mr.. Bergman, produced a
cartoon day, week in, week out, for
years on end-such Is the fertility of
his brain.
Caricatures and cartoons were, it
will be recalled, much used during
the Reformation and later during
the French Revolution, and later