karikatura, rogorc azrovnebis modeli sabWoTa totalitarizmis pirobebSi. (Georgian)

Caricature, as a Hhinking Model under Soviet Totalitarianism. (English)

Caricature plays a significant role in informing the public and in critical understanding of acute social and political problems. The given form of self-expression is an effective tool for an author to reveal modern shortcomings. Works by painter Ilia Tatishvili clearly confirm the aforementioned. We studied I. Tatishvili’s case in framework of the grant project – Bolshevism in and Georgian literature from the World War II till 20th Congress of the Soviet Union Communist Party (1941-1956). He was suspected in violating the 58-1 B Article, which considers treason conducted by a military servant. His traitorous activity is related to the fact that he fought on Nazi Germany side for freeing Georgia from Bolsheviks. The Georgian legionnaire worked as caricaturist in Georgian Newspaper Sakartvelo which was published in Berlin at that time. We have analyzed several examples of portrait and situational caricatures published in the newspaper. Caricatures mock “The Great Soviet Chief” Joseph Stalin and his expansionist policy. Among the analyzed caricatures was Stalin’s Dream, which was published on February 27, 1944, in the 9th issue of the Newspaper. It is in the category of the so called “portrait”, which expresses the idea metaphorically, by deformation of physical parts of a person, or by hypertrophying one of the features. Stalin’s Dream is the satire, creolized media-text, which is an insemantic relationship between the iconic and verbal components – images are necessary element of a text. The caricature shows the true face of the Soviet tyrant; his expansionist nature is fully exposed. By means of hypertrophying ethno-typical features of a specific country and by artificially relating it to Stalin’s character, clearly is exposed Stalin’s expansionist policy and the long-term plans of the Chief, which meant ruling over the world. Along with the symbolic reflection of the reality, the given caricature is a type of warning, hint towards the danger which any society of Europe may face, if they do not clearly understand the reality of the threats. Stalin’s policy is also criticized in another caricature published in Sakartvelo Newspaper (March 14, 1943). Along with Stalin, the drawing shows deformed prototypes of the leaders of his allies. The author showed Stalin as an enormous bear. The given image creates for judging the character, clearly expresses and attitude of the caricaturist and of the editorial office in general towards the leader of the Bolsheviks and his policy. Such an approach is natural, as the newspaper conducting the ideological course of the Nazi Germany, perceived events one-sidedly; although, the national determination was always the leitmotif of the editorial publications, which was aimed at freeing the homeland from Bolshevism by help from Hitler’s Germany. Ilia Tatishvili’s drawing Last Act of Diep’s Adventure is of the type of situational caricature. In the caricature the legionnaire grotesquely describes the tragic events taken place in the city of Diep, located in the north of France. The battle for Diep is recorded in the history of the World War II as the Operation Rutter, or Operation Jubilee. In 1942, the naval forces of the Great Britain and Canada attacked the port city of Diep occupied by Germans. Goal of the operation was to free the city from the occupants and to detect the reaction of the opponents. The operation ended with fast and destructive defeat of the allies. Even by considering such political situation, Sakartvelo Newspaper published the aforementioned caricature several days after the Diep victory; in the August 30, 1942 issue. The drawing shows the last act of a theatrical play. Author’s attention is concentrated on the ongoing acute topic. Despite the subjective position, the caricaturist manages to humorously present historical facts and to express the thoughts in the context of contemporary realities. The given example clearly shows that caricature, as a journalistic tool, helps us in better analyzing the news. The caricatures have the load of informing and character demystification and propagandist functions. Despite the apologia of German Nazism, the presented visual materials were marked with the idea of fighting for the independence of homeland. The given propagandist messages, revealed through accusatory handwriting of Georgian caricaturists, clearly reflect the brutality of Stalin’s regime and the spirit of fighting against it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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