The Sunday Magazine 16:36 The New Yorker cartoonist Barry Blitt reflects on the art of finding a laugh Barry Blitt says it's an uncertain time for editorial cartoonists amid political tensions in the U.S. — but laughter, he says, is the key to dealing with the heavy stuff.
In his three decades as an editorial cartoonist for The New Yorker, the Canadian-American illustrator has contributed over 140 covers to the magazine. The New Yorker — an American publication featuring journalism, commentary, fiction and satire — turns 100 this year. Along with its written pieces, The New Yorker has become world-renowned for its illustrations and political cartoons.
Support for editorial cartooning has been in decline in recent years, with departures of high-profile cartoonists like The Washington Post's Ann Telnaes and The Halifax Chronicle Herald's Michael de Adder. In 2019, The New York Times stopped running editorial cartoons altogether. Barry Blitt spoke with The Sunday Magazine host Piya Chattopadhyay about the challenges facing editorial cartoonists and how to find humour in the humourless.
Political cartoonists often get their best ideas from the absurdity of politics. You're a Canadian and you're an American — from your point of view as an illustrator, how are you looking at this strange moment between our two countries? It's impossible to look away; it's like the proverbial train wreck. I don't watch any political TV.
I can't stand that even at the best of times. Anytime I.
