1- When did you start painting cartoons and caricature?

I started drawing since I was little kid, then after year 2000; I began my professional cartoon art.

Through the years, I improved my own style to create somehow unique cartoons.

My very first published cartoon was in 2003, Al-Thawra newspaper. Since then I have participated in many cartoon and photography contests and exhibitions around the globe. I also won 3 prizes, became member in art organizations and published many art works in addition to “Similarities Cartoon Magazine” which for I am vice editor and designer.

I continue working on paintings, wood work, print work, photography and other artistic works.

2- Do you think there is a difference between cartoon and caricature?

Sure there is a difference, the term “caricature” derived from the Italian word “caricare” which means to load or to charge. When a portrait is called “caricature” that means it is a loaded portrait or charged one, especially the exaggerated one.

So this can lead us to a simple definition, a “caricature” is: a portrait of a person (famous, figure, well-known) with really exaggerated features, like bigger nose or wider forehead. Usually it is funny and sometimes expresses an idea or concept.

The term “cartoon” derived from the Italian word “cartone” and the Dutch word “karton”, meaning strong or heavy paper. It defines a sketch or a study for a painting, which artists usually drew it on a pasteboard or hard paper before starting on the main painting.

The art of cartoon began to take its features since the 1800’s when artists started to paint characters (fiction or real) in a scene created to bring a concept or idea.

They introduced “anomaly” placement of things, comic or satire scene, an incident, criticized concept… etc.

So we can say that “cartoon” is: a complete scene introduces a concept or idea, features characters, space, movements and natural elements. Usually it is funny but it could be dramatic.

Now it is obviously that caricature is different from cartoon. Caricature depends on featuring faces with minimal concept elements, while cartoon is more comprehensive, that it contains multiple characters, elements, movements and a full scene to produce a specific concept.

3- What are the main problems that a caricaturist faces?

I guess the following points are considered general problems to a cartoonist or caricaturist:

1. The censorship, applied by governments, newspapers or organizations.
2. The massive increase in numbers of cartoonists around the world, this means less job opportunities and less unique ideas.
3. Plagiarisms and similarity cases.
   

4- What do you think about the caricature in the Arab world?

It is quite difficult to speak generally about caricature and cartoon in the Arab world, due to the fact that there are lots of special individual cases that couldn’t be considered in that general point of view.

Anyway, although cartoon art has quite good reputation, but still needs more efficiency within the Arab communities, to have more influence on Arab people, to help building the community and improving humanity aspects and habits.

But what we can read rapidly from the Arabic newspapers that cartoons reflect the opinions and emotions of Arabs, such art has a great noble mission to spread the word by a drawing.

What we can also read that Arabic cartoon needs more technical improvements, comparing to, for example, Iranian cartoon, we find some weakness using techniques, still we find some great Arab artists and cartoonists with great skills and techniques.

Also the combination of the whole idea or concept still needs new talented cartoonists to improve the editorial cartoons (cartoons on newspapers) and create new mission for cartoon.

In my opinion, the main challenge for Arab cartoonists is to move the art of cartoon from just being on newspapers (editorial) to invade all ways of our lives, to reach each Arabic person and make a change in their lives by improving or criticizing their habits and routines.

5- Do you think that caricature is popular in Syria? And if no, why?

Not so popular, that the Syrian society, like most of Arabic societies, is not quite prepared to consider the art of cartoon as an art for the people, that it can simply criticize the society. In the same time lots of aspects can be seen indeed in Syria indicate new level of art conscious among the Syrians.

Still Syrians love first to read the last page in each newspaper which usually contains cartoons!

6- Do you think that your country Syria encourages such art? If yes how?

Yes, you can see many aspects that Syrian government always encourages such art, from the many exhibitions to the cartoon contests and so on…

Examples are the “International Cartoon Contest, SYRIA”, this annual competition has been organized (under the auspices of Ministry of Information in Syria) for the past 7 years, and till now it succeeded with almost 90 participating countries from the whole world. Plenty of prizes were awarded during this contest or “cartoon festival” which is always followed by a cartoon exhibition in all Syrian major cities. This contest is organized by Syria Cartoon Society (www.syriacartoon.net, directed by cartoonist Raed Khalil) and I am one of the organizers for the past 3 years.

Also Syria Cartoon website www.syriacartoon.net is considered one of the best cartoon websites, which I am a member of its board of directors, visitors count around 4000 visitor per day.

A cartoon house or museum was opened in Damascus by the famous cartoonist Ali Ferzat, to be one of the newest cartoon houses in the Arab world and maybe the only one of its kind.

All these aspects are indicators of taking cartoons seriously to the next steps, although sometimes few political cartoons don’t get to be published due to internal censorship.

7- Why are caricatures mostly political in the Arab world?

We can’t say that most of the Arab’s cartoons are political, because lots of Arab cartoonists draw other topics and themes. But what really happens is that Arabic media and press only focus on political topics, because we are in the middle of political and war conflicts and our Arab countries are targeted by great political forces.

So Arab cartoons have various topics and themes; such as political, cultural, social, economical, biological… and so on…

The media and press have always the great influence on how cartoons look within a specific society during specific period of time. That relationship between media and cartoons could be easily broken by creating new environment and atmosphere for cartoonists to create their cartoons in different ways and topics, so they will not stay related or determined by some media or press rules and orders.

الكارتون في العالم العربي

مقابلة مع موقع شهرة.كوم | 21/2/2011

(المقابلة كما نشرت، دون تصرف)

يعتبر الفنان والرسام والمهندس السوري أسامة السلطي،الحائز على أكثر من جائزة في عدة مسابقات كالمسابقة الدولية للكاريكاتور (سوريا) سنة 2008 و2009 ومسابقة ناجي العلي سنة 2007، أن التحديات التي قد تواجه الرسّام أو الكاريكاتوري في العالم العربي كثيرة ومنها: الرقابة التي تفرضها الدولة أو الجريدة أو المنظمات، إضافة الى إرتفاع عدد الرسامين في العالم مما يؤدي الى إنخفاض فرص العمل والأفكار الفريدة من نوعها. يضيف أيضا الى هذه التحديات عدم إحترام الملكية الفكرية والأدبية وبالتالي سرقة بعض الأفكار والأعمال الفنية دون وجود أي ضوابط أو تطبيق للقوانين.

يعتقد السلطي أن الكاريكاتور في العالم العربي يتمتع بسمعة جيدة وهو في طور التقدم لكنه يعاني من نقص من ناحية الكفاءات وعليه يجب أن يكون له تأثير أكبر على الشعب وأن يساعد في بناء المجتمع وتحسين الجوانب الإنسانية. ويؤمن أيضا أن الكاريكاتور يعكس آراء ومشاعر الشعب العربي لكنه يضيف: ” إنه بحاجة الى تحسينات تقنية.”
كما أنه يعتبر أن الرسوم الكاريكاتورية في الصحف بحاجة الى رسامين موهوبين لتحسين الرسوم التحريرية ولخلق رسالة جديدة للكاريكاتور. من هنا، يعتبر أسامة السلطي أن التحديات الأساسية التي تواجه الرسامين العرب هي جعل الكاريكاتور مستقل عن الصحف والمجلات وحثّه ليطال كل جوانب الحياة.

ويوضح أن الكاريكاتور ليس بالفن الشعبي في سوريا كما في معظم الدول العربية لأن الشعب غير مستعد أن يعتبر الكاريكاتور فن للشعب لأنه قادر على إنتقاد المجتمع، غير أنه مؤخرا ظهر مستوى جديد من الوعي الفني بين السوريين. ويضيف “لا يجب أن ننسى أن الشعب السوري يعشق دوما” تصفح الصفحة الأخيرة من الجريدة التي تضم عادة الكاريكاتور.”

ويعتبر أيضا أن الرسوم الكاريكاتورية في العالم العربي ليست كلها بسياسية لأن العديد من الرسامين العرب يعملون على مواضيع أخرى. لكن ما يحدث فعلا على حدّ قول السلطي هو أن الإعلام العربي يركز فقط على المسائل والمواضيع السياسية لأن الشعب العربي يعيش وسط نزاعات وحروب. يلخص فكرته بإعتباره أن الإعلام والصحافة على وجه الخصوص لديهم تأثير كبير على نظرة المجتمع للكاريكاتور. هذه الهيمنة على الرسوم الكاريكاتورية من قبل الإعلام من السهل جدا التخلص منها فيكفي خلق بيئة جديدة للرسامين يتمكنون فيها من إبتكار رسومهم بطرق جديدة وحول مواضيع مختلفة لا تنحصر فقط بالسياسة ولا تحددها وسائل الإعلام.