Peoples Geography — Reclaiming space

Creating people's geographies

Meet Michael Leunig

By now you will know of the depth of my appreciation for political cartoonists and artists: David Baldinger, Andy Singer, Khalil Bendib and other luminaries who say it all so skilfully and superbly with a picture or a cartoon. Though I have featured his cartoons here before and he is well known here in Australia (nominated as a National Living Treasure, in fact!), it has been my pleasure to have introduced the hand of Michael Leunig to some of you.

Leunig’s cartoons are often wry, gently humorous and whimsical commentaries on life; his more overtly political cartoons have also struck a chord and landed him in trouble (see below ‘On Israel’). His ardent peace and anti-war stance has often put him in the line of fire with critics, though his integrity to his principles has won him fans anew.

As well as being a cartoonist, poet and artist, Leunig also pens the occasional article (selection below).

I feature a selection of his cartoons here. For now, I’ll refrain from writing anything other than this short preamble and let his cartoons speak for themselves. For those interested, his biography can be found here at his website.

Articles (selection) by Leunig

* Lest we forget the ultimate price of warfare, The Age, 23 April 2005
* The cartoonists’ lot: holding the mirror to a fractured world, The Age, 13 January 2006
* They know not what they do, The Age, 10 Feb 2007

Previously featured on Reclaiming Space (thumb-nail—click on image for full size):

Understandascope :: Interview with Mt Everest :: Nip a movement

Ban the Business Burqa

leunig_understandascope.jpgexclusive-interview-with-mount-everest.jpgleunig-kill-leader-movement.jpg

leunig-ban-the-business-burqa-cartoon.jpg

More Leunig cartoons

leunig-if-you-see-anything-unusual.jpg

leunig-us-salesman-selling-paranoia.jpgleunig-howard_camus_quote.jpgleunig-yearning.gif

leunig-weapon-wrong-habds.gif

leunig_bush-flushing-bible.jpgleunig_carefree-man-reading-carnage.jpgleunig_hicks-and-menacing-military-man.jpg

leunig_drugs-to-cope-with-modern-life.jpg

On Australian Militarism

leunig-howard_camus_quote.jpg

On the Australian-American Relationship

leunig_bush-to-howard-postcard.jpg

leunig-seeker-ad.jpg

Various

leunig-weapon-wrong-habds.gifleunig_bows-and-arrows-of-mass-destruction.jpgleunig_war-criminals.jpg

leunig_diff_between_good_and_bad_guy.jpgleunig_saltnpeppercouples.jpgleunig_violence-begetes-violence.jpg

leunig_law-of-karma.jpg

leunig_saviour-me-appearance.jpgleunig_feeling-global.jpgleunig_mess_accomplished.jpg

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On Palestine

leunig_thats-how-you-do-it.jpg leunig_palestinian-jokes.jpg

On Israel

leunig_sharon-coma-strike.jpgleunig_israel_war-brings-peace.gif

On Iraq: a parallel to the present situation

leunig_general-maude-1917.jpg

7 comments on “Meet Michael Leunig

  1. Servant
    25 March, 2007

    Too funny. I’ve often wondered if there’s a correlation between “civilization” and tranquilizers.

    The personals are brilliant.

  2. Ben Heine
    25 March, 2007

    Thanks, Ann, Michael Leunig is very talented. It seems that he really has different styles and techniques!

  3. Richard Silverstein
    25 March, 2007

    He must have his own website, no? Would you have a link? Love his work!

  4. peoplesgeography
    25 March, 2007

    Thanks, Serv., indeed one wonders at the correlation. Glad you liked his other work.

  5. peoplesgeography
    25 March, 2007

    Ben, thanks very much. Well, you’re far more qualified to describe the styles and techniques. :) He’s not as well known overseas as he is here so its good to introduce him to others previously unfamiliar with his thirty-odd year span of work. Appreciate you coming by!

  6. peoplesgeography
    25 March, 2007

    Richard, good to see you. The website is at http://www.leunig.com.au/

    If you poke around there’s a cartoons page which is particularly worth visiting as well as a link to his numerous books. I have a few and they are heartily recommended.

    His biography is here: http://www.leunig.com.au/biography/ and a search engine search on his name should yield some interesting results.

    Thanks for coming by.

  7. Pingback: Leunig cartoons - Religious Education Forum

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Timely Reminders

"Those who crusade, not for God in themselves, but against the devil in others, never succeed in making the world better, but leave it either as it was, or sometimes perceptibly worse than what it was, before the crusade began. By thinking primarily of evil we tend, however excellent our intentions, to create occasions for evil to manifest itself."
-- Aldous Huxley

"The only war that matters is the war against the imagination. All others are subsumed by it."
-- Diane DiPrima, "Rant", from Pieces of a Song.

"It is difficult
to get the news from poems
yet men die miserably every day
for lack
of what is found there"
-- William Carlos Williams, "Asphodel, That Greeny Flower"


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