The form of traditional cartoons in China

The appearance of the earliest cartoons and cartoons and the development of early countries

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Brief introduction of Benjamin

Benjamin, formerly known as Zhang Bin. Famous cartoonists and illustrators are the first-class cartoonists in the Chinese world and even in the world. Graduated from fashion design major, engaged in fashion design, free advertising illustration, animation production and other industries.

This legendary young artist won numerous applause for his unique avant-garde painting style and the "truth" spirit throughout his works. From selling 65,438+10,000 copies of "The Basement" to winning the Golden Dragon Award in the Oriental International Original Comic Art Competition, and then to the just-released "Where Are We Going", Benjamin has always insisted on watercolor painting and realistic painting style, and used comic novels to make China children influenced by Japanese comics shine at the moment.

Cover of Benjamin's new book Where Are We Going 1 Comic Characters.

Benjamin signed the book.

The audience took pictures in front of Benjamin's works.

4 anime fans "doodle" on the photo board.

In 2006, Golden Eagle Comic Carnival welcomed another handsome cartoonist. Yes, he is Benjamin.

The new powerful cartoonist in China, the author of the poster of the movie Seven Swords, criticized the domestic cartoonists when he first came to Changsha.

Yesterday, Benjamin said in an interview that the slow development of chinese comic was due to "the poor creative level of comic writers". China's traditional cultural elements are the advantages of domestic cartoonists.

Cartoonists should reflect on themselves.

"Why do some people like to watch Japanese comics? Because other people's things are better than ours. If you can produce good works, are you still worried that you can't sell them? " Yesterday morning, Benjamin was wearing fashionable and casual clothes, sitting in his room, talking about his views on chinese comic with some excitement.

Since 1980s, a large number of Japanese animation products have flooded into the China market, making China's already fragile animation in jeopardy. This situation was not taken seriously at that time, and many cartoonists still thought their works were the best. Benjamin said that now cartoonists finally realize that no one has read their works, and complaints have followed. They complain that the government doesn't pay enough attention to animation, but they don't realize the problems in their works. "Readers have formed high reading expectations, but in fact it is difficult for domestic comic works to reach their own requirements. This contrast has caused many readers to lose confidence in chinese comic. "

Benjamin believes that to change the backward situation in chinese comic, the most fundamental thing is to rely on the efforts of cartoonists, especially cartoonists, who should not only be responsible for the reality in chinese comic, but also reflect on the problems existing in their own creation, instead of putting all the responsibilities on themselves.

Chinese comic should conform to China's national conditions.

Anyone who has read Remember knows that Benjamin's cartoons have a strong realistic style. Rich and colorful picture styles, profound characters and stories close to the times make Benjamin's cartoons a sharp weapon to reflect social reality. In Benjamin's own words, his cartoons "reflect the social ecology under the national conditions in the primary stage of socialism in China".

Benjamin said that China is like a big construction site now. Everyone is busy living on the construction site, but they seldom consider their future life direction. When desire conflicts with reality, they are often in self-confusion. At this time, the feelings between people have become more and more vague, even only in the satisfaction and release of desire. "My comics have an original dignified and rough beauty. Although they are sometimes frustrating, they can make people reflect. " Benjamin said that his work style was formed under this social background.

In addition, China's traditional cultural elements are the advantages of domestic cartoonists. "In particular, some classic literary works, folk stories and idiom stories can be used as the theme of comics." Benjamin thinks that making full use of these themes should be a booster for chinese comic's development.

Mobius ring is not easy.

Despite his dissatisfaction with the current situation in chinese comic, Benjamin affirmed the efforts of domestic cartoonists. "Mobius ring is not easy. I believe there is an excellent team behind. " Benjamin praised the animated film for its investment of 65.438+0.3 billion yuan.

"After watching this movie, I was very moved. It has reached the world level in some technical aspects. Although there are still congenital deficiencies in plot and management, this does not allow us to deny the efforts of China animation. " Benjamin said that although the box office performance of Mobius Ring is not ideal, Benjamin believes that as long as the team behind the film is still there, "their next work must be the best in China!"

Experienced the traditional cartoons of China in 1930s and 40s.

About 1930, I am a middle school student in Zhejiang No.1 Middle School. My first cartoon was a few students making faces when they were vaccinated, which was published in the school magazine. Later, I imitated the popular poems and cartoons at that time and drew several girls picking lotus. The poem written with it is "Holland Tian Tian in Jiangnan", copied from Yuefu.

1932 was expelled from the school for opposing the search in the exam. 1933, went to the high school affiliated to Shanghai Datong University. At that time, Shanghai was the most prosperous city for comics. It can be said that cartoonists gather and there are many comic newspapers and magazines. 1933 started school and entered the comic book industry while contributing. Most of his works have been published in humorous journals edited by Lin Yutang, such as The Analects of Confucius, Wind of the Universe, Times Comics, Shanghai Comics, and Independent Comics centered on Lu, Yi and Ye. Some of his works have also been published in Damei Evening News and New Newspaper. Most cartoonists in China are self-taught. At that time, our predecessors, such as Feng Zikai, Lu and Ye, took good care of us beginners, and there were many cartoonists, such as Zhang Leping, Lu and Ye. Under such conditions, I am just a beginner, and it is almost impossible to catch up with them. At that time, he imitated Saparu, a Russian cartoonist of Shanghai English newspaper Zilin West Newspaper. His cartoon lines are smooth and his characters are vivid and accurate. But this imitation didn't make me stand out, so I took the big scene with many people as my cartoon symbol, which was recognized by my peers in the late 1930s. I don't know the value of creativity, but I got it. It's really "a blind cat meets a dead mouse." At that time, my outlook on the world and art was not mature. Politically, I hated the long-term brutal aggression of Japanese imperialism against our country and Chiang Kai-shek, who was in power in China, did not resist the government and dictatorship of Japan, so I changed my political thoughts, especially after reading Si Nuo's Red Star over China (formerly known as Red Star over China) on 1936, I got a little understanding of the * * * production party in China. So 1938, Shanghai was occupied by Japan and became an island. I didn't want to be conquered people, so I quit my job as a bank clerk and went to Yan 'an without telling my mother.

I joined the China * * * Production Party in Yan 'an Lu Xun College of Literature and Art in April 1940, and served as Party branch secretary in autumn, and the general branch secretary stayed until the editorial department of People's Daily. 1952. This is also a mental exercise for me, but in this article I only talk about my artistic and ideological changes in comics.

When I went to Lu Yi, I began to publish cartoons in the school wall newspaper, which was still in Shanghai style. The wall newspaper is in the street of Qiaoergou at the school gate. Someone came to read it. When they saw the cartoon, they turned and left. At this time, we all secretly observed in the nearby cooperatives, indicating that my cartoons were not appreciated by the masses. After drawing them two or three times, I was no longer interested in drawing. 1In the spring of 942, Cai Ruohong and Zhang E, both left-wing cartoonists in Shanghai, held an exhibition on Ann's satire in the military society, satirizing the ideological style of cadres such as "new residents" who were late for the meeting and sat at the door of the cave to raise chickens and eat eggs; Two female cadres accosted each other: "You are going to get married when you are a section chief", and the topic "section chief can do it"; The boy who washed his hair and feet, a red army cadre with some fountain pens in his pocket, was entitled "The cultural level has improved". Such exhibitions are rarely held in Yan 'an, and many cadres come to visit them. Soon Chairman Mao probably knew about it, so he took several followers to see the comic exhibition. I was on duty that day, and I watched it with the chairman. Occasionally I didn't understand, so I made some explanations. Because time is too long, I can't remember what work I asked. I read it and sent it to the door, asking Chairman Mao to criticize it. Chairman Mao replied, "Comics should develop". At that time, I was too poor to ask what it meant. Chairman Mao said nothing. After the exhibition, Kang Sheng asked to send the exhibition to the social department of Ansai County at that time, and the time was about 1942 in March and April. The "satire exhibition" did not cause waves at that time, and Zhou Yang also asked in general terms. But at that time, Cai Ruohong seemed to have some opinions about the satire exhibition. After the exhibition, he put all three people's paintings together and kept them by him. These paintings were taken away by the rebels until the "Cultural Revolution" and never returned. I have no idea where they are.

1942 In May, the Central Committee held a symposium on literature and art, which played a great role in the whole literature and art, defined the direction of literature and art serving the broad masses of the people, and made many literary and art workers move from pavilions to workers, peasants and soldiers. But I didn't understand this change at once, but gradually understood it. The reality is that farmers just don't like my comics. Chairman Mao also talked about the popularization, nationalization, democratization and scientificization of the new culture in the Theory of New Democracy written before the Yan 'an Forum on Literature and Art, and also talked about the fresh and lively Chinese style and China style loved by the people of China in the article Opposing stereotyped Party writing. These are all in my mind. During the period of 1943, I went to the countryside with Lu Yi Art Troupe, and all I saw were dramas and yangko, but I also realized the degree to which local art was loved by the masses. At that time, there was a comrade Kong Jue from the literature department. When he went to the countryside, he collected some popular languages, idioms and two-part allegorical sayings, so Kong Xian's novels were very popular with the masses at that time. But the mass language he collected was confidential, so I borrowed it because he and I were fellow villagers. Really lifelike, lifelike, so I followed the example of taking my notebook to the countryside and collected it for more than ten years until the "Cultural Revolution" was taken away by the rebels, and there were about a dozen copies, which were never returned. For example, I drew a cartoon "Dead Rats Can't Touch Cold" from idioms collected by the masses, satirizing the ugly behavior of Zhang Chunqiao, the Gang of Four in the trial. Many of my cartoons use this vivid language, and people like to see my paintings.

1942 In August, Chairman Mao met with three cartoonists, which was also a great event in the history of modern comics in China, and he also wrote articles in the past. Chairman Mao said that I published a cartoon in Yan 'an Liberation Daily satirizing the improper storage of trees along the river, pointing out which section was poorly managed, otherwise it would be detrimental to the overall tree planting along the river. Therefore, it is very important to distinguish the relationship between the individual and the general, the part and the whole to overcome the improper exaggeration and one-sidedness of cartoons at that time. This kind of problem exists in our satirical exhibitions.

Personally, I think it is very important to receive this kind of education in Yan 'an, which has prompted me to change my political stance and artistic point of view. However, Yan 'an was surrounded and blocked by the Kuomintang at that time, with economic difficulties, few publications and few artistic practices. I can only say that I was in the stage of thinking. It can be said that the transformation of his cartoon creation in Yan 'an can only be realized by practicing in the Northeast.

During my four years in Northeast Daily, I drew many political cartoons with the theme of opposing U.S. imperialism and helped Chiang Kai-shek fight the civil war. The guidance and help of the president, editor-in-chief and editor, as well as the encouragement of the masses, have made my comics grow. My cartoons were enlarged and posted on the street, and were used as current affairs textbooks by some columns of the Northeast People's Liberation Army. I also created a man wearing a US military uniform, with two pieces of black square headache cream on his temples, which were often used by the green and red gangs in old Shanghai. This image not only shows the origin of Chiang Kai-shek, but also shows the "pain and pain" of Chiang Kai-shek's repeated defeats on the battlefield. At that time, the soldiers and civilians in the Northeast Liberated Area all knew about President Jiang with a headache plaster, so I was blacklisted by the Kuomintang secret service in Harbin because I "insulted the leader".

At the end of 1949, I was transferred to Beijing People's Daily. At that time, I saw the works of three Soviet cartoonists, Kuklinikeser, who all received basic training in art schools. When I felt a little ashamed in the cartoon, I was in a dark middle school, which also coincided with the "craze" of "leaning to the Soviet Union" at that time. This kind of learning is ineffective. From 65438 to 0953, a Polish painter Kobzdyi visited China and saw my works. He bluntly said that my cartoons were not as good as before, which made me wake up.

After the founding of New China, I went to Beijing, and later I was assigned to work in China Artists Association. We can't just focus on one aspect of comics, our horizons have expanded. In the past, the contact between East and West was relatively unfamiliar, and there were many classical folk arts, but Yan 'an did not.

China traditional painting, I had the opportunity to contact when I was in middle school, because my uncle was He, a great calligrapher in China in the Qing Dynasty. There were many paintings and calligraphy in his family, but at that time I was still young and couldn't understand many Chinese paintings. Probably, most of them are antique and boring. After entering the city, Chinese painting had not been transformed at that time, and the wind of antique and imitation was very strong. But Qi Baishi's paintings are different. His poems and paintings make people feel completely new. From his paintings, I learned that China's poems and paintings were originally created by China, and Chinese paintings can be used. Why can't comics be used? Such transplantation will certainly be of great help to the nationalization of comics. Of course there will be difficulties. I can't write poetry, and the word "Five" in comics is not harmonious. I will use doggerel or jingle instead of ancient poetry, which is also a good match. I also attach great importance to the ingenuity of the topic used by the old man Baishi: he painted a plate of red cherries with the title "My daughter's mouth color" and two chicks sumo, with the title "We will call each other tomorrow", which is different from some western paintings of cherries and chickens. There are also some foreign dogmas in our modern comics, for example, comics without words are the top grade. In recent years, western cartoons have used Untitled as the title, and we have followed suit. If untitled is used well, comics can also add interest. Untitled works well, others can't understand it. Nowadays, many untitled comics actually can't think of a title. Apart from calligraphy, my calligraphy has no foundation, but it can be unified with my paintings, and the two are not mutually exclusive. What I practiced in my summer homework in primary school was the copybook of Ling Fei Classic, which was simply a torment. Every stroke had to be imitated, which bound people's hands and feet. I like to see the structure and momentum of Chinese characters. I don't know from He Dian that Cantonese people call painting "painting", but I understand that it is the unification of the two brushstrokes, so I don't want to learn the brushwork methods such as "middle" and "partial". I really learned, and my comics have become the flavor of Chinese painting. In short, I seek "nationalization" in comics, not in the form of Chinese painting. I don't want comics to be passed by Chinese painting, so it has become an old saying, losing my wife and losing my soldiers.

Comics need a lot of nutrition to nourish congenital deficiency. You can choose to read China's literature, art, culture, history, folk customs and even medical knowledge. I didn't know that gold can also be used as medicine until I bought a prescription of Chinese medicine. Therefore, I think a cartoonist is best to be an inexhaustible sage with rich knowledge. In the past, there were two young cartoonists in our country, and their cartoon ideas were different from the secular ones. Later, I learned that they both graduated from the philosophy department of the university. Unfortunately, neither of them drew cartoons. If I can learn philosophy well, my comic thinking depth will be different.

I have been drawing comics for 70 years. Because I love comics, I am not afraid of changing my mind or being frustrated, so I stick to it. I love my country, and I also love the China * * * production party, although I have made mistakes. Without these, there would be no growth and development of my comics.