Print Culture: Political Cartoons, Book Covers, and Poster Art

Throughout history, print culture has served as a reflection of the interconnected changes in thought, society, politics, and art, all of which have been captured using ink, paper, and imagery. The pictorial grammar of posters, politically motivated cartoons, and book covers has influenced how people mass communicate from the beginning of lithography and continues to do so into the age of digital mass reproduction. This art print style, in all its forms, preserves the essence of public discourse, which is enduring, expressive, and accessible.

The Voice of the Streets: Poster Art

Once created, posters are a method of communication that can be utilized for many years. They are permanent and can be placed anywhere, including set locations that have more traffic, such as the sides of buildings, sidewalks, and the tops of light poles. Their main purpose is to capture the attention of many, so they are designed with bold colours and text to elicit some sort of response or to showcase some sort of motion.

Early modern artists, including Alphonse Mucha and Henri de Toulouse, embraced both modern poster techniques and lithography to develop consumer goods and entertainment. They regarded them as collectable posters. This new form of art quickly evolved and adapted to political and social messages. Propaganda, political resistance, and the Liberty Poster of Bangladesh from 1971 are only a few examples of the diverse contexts in which posters have been used.

In Bangladesh, artists such as Quamrul Hassan and Rafiqun Nabi used poster art as a powerful medium of national expression. They made posters filled with social satire and appealing visuals designed to inspire patriotism and promote justice. Quamrul and Rafiqun exemplify a new form of democracy in which artists can engage and transform visual art into tools of protest, social change, and cultural activities. Today, posters remain a dominant form of visual storytelling and communication in democracy.

The First Impression of a Book Cover

Posters speak to the masses, book covers speak to an individual. They intrigue a reader before even a single page of a book has been turned. Each book cover offers a glimpse of the narrative. The narrative depicts the book cover design as innovative and transforms with the rise of literacy, the typewriter, and art.

The first printed books were more practical and less expressive. They were closed with unadorned leather or cloth. But now with a broader influence from publishing houses, by the 20th century, book covers turned artistic. Designers began creating designs using abstraction, typography, and symbolism.

In South Asia, cover art became a significant venue for cross-cultural exchange. Publishers from Bangladesh, such as Pathak Shamabesh and Anannya, popularised unique covers that incorporate calligraphy, folk art, and modern design. Artists like Zainul Abedin and S.M. Sultan inspired a visual vocabulary using local and indigenous culture. Today, book covers possess a digital design element that amplifies a book's creativity, but the main purpose of the cover still remains: to transform text into a living piece of art that is emotionally stimulating.

Political Cartoons: Laughter with a Sharp Edge

The essence of a political cartoon is a unique piece of art that is both funny and critical. Cartoonists and illustrators use humour to highlight issues like corruption, hypocrisy, and absurdity. Their main power is in the simple construction of the drawings that can transform complex issues into small and simple drawings.

Across different periods in time, certain cartoonists have encountered ridicule, exile, and even imprisonment for their work in commentary. In the country of Bangladesh, draws, like Rafiqun Nabi, creator of the character 'Tokai', have humorously shown the social tension and everyday resilience of the people in the country. Political cartoons serve a dual purpose of commentary and documentation. There are instances of snapshots of public sentiment captured in cartoons during important periods in time, like elections or crises.

During the contemporary period, cartoons have been transferred to the internet, allowing for wider access and engagement. The internet cartoons developed descendant memes, which, like cartoons, serve the purpose of humour aimed at protest participation.

The Undying Impact of Print Culture

Even with the advances of modern technology, the digital revolution retains a certain edge for culture. The culture contains the absence of touch, the weight of ink, and the permanence of paper. It also includes the poster art, book covers, and political cartoons, which — aside from captured history — also shape collective memory. They serve the purpose of visual culture, which transcends compassion, speaking of the mere essentials of voice and resistance to the oppression of imagination.

In every etched line and every stroke of paint, the history of culture is recorded. It is preserved in the interaction that exists between art and society, which in this specific case is in the form of print. Though print is quiet, the message it carries is far from silent.