Cartoonists are born, not trained: Martin Rowson

Cartoonists are more born than trained - this was what British cartoonist Martin Rowson said while talking about the skills of the professional involved in the art. Rowson, who is the cartoonist of British newspaper 'The Guardian', is also the chairman of the British Cartoonists' Association was delivering a lecture at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad (NID) workshop on Tuesday.The workshop is a joint initiative of British Council, Ahmedabad and the NID. "Making cartoon is about matching ideas with image," said Rowson, adding that the skills of making cartoon could be improved through training. "But in the heart, the cartoonist should be rebellious and have the guts of not drawing cartoons like what they are told to but draw what they want to," the ace cartoonist said. For a good cartoon Rowson added, "The visual, the satire and the humour should come together." Tracing the roots of cartoons Rowson said, "Every culture has visual satire. Even cave paintings are cartoons in a way. Cartoon is not an art that is to be hanged up in the wall but it is journalism. Cartoons have been accepted throughout the time and has become a part of political satire.""It is like the voodoo," he said, describing the process of making a cartoon. Explaining further, he said that cartoon making is the "process of filtering" the observation through the eye and "transforming the shape and controlling" the subject. Elaborating about the responsibilities of a cartoonist, he said, "I would not make a positive cartoon of a politician as it would become propaganda." He also said that while the idea of a satirical cartoon is to get to the edge of the dividing line of what is public and what is private, it is important to be cautious and not to cross the line.Rowson who was a judge of an all India competition on 'Interpretation of climate change in cartoon' organised by the British Council and Ken Sprague Fund UK in October 2009 said, "The way of making cartoon in India is more of a single style while in Britain there is more diversity." NID student Jashjot Singh Hans bagged the third prize in the competition.