Feng Zikai (1898-1975) : un caricaturiste lyrique

Abstract

Feng Zikai (1898-1975), a lyric cartoonist. The work of the cartoonist Feng Zikai (1898-1975), an artist born in Zhejiang and closely connected to the Westernised literary circles of Shanghai in the 1920-1940s, contrasts with that of his fellows by its lyrical inspiration. A close examination of his cartoons, which are painted with a brush, shows that, despite an apparent freedom in style and tone, their main features are a conciseness, an implicit seriousness, and a depth which recall classical poems, which were often his inspiration. Feng’s cartoons indeed transpose into his own time a way of thinking peculiar to the ancient literati elite, combined with a philosophy of life influenced by Buddhism. Although he could be very incisive, Feng Zikai especially endeavoured to communicate the flavour of everyday life and to express the empathy he felt towards children, people of modest means, and those of humble station. Concerned with the reality of his time, his cartoons are tinged with an emotion which gives them a lyrical complexion.