Leunig's Monday reflection

 

Melbourne Age 1 October 1984 p. 11

leunig's weekend father's day sunday observer 6 September 1970

This cartoon is exceptionally rude about Bolte (foot in the chamber pot in particular). Thought you might like the whole page for context. 
 

sobs and snobs 1970

Fascinating on a number of levels, this item from the Sunday Observer 15 November 1970 gives us good insight into (1) the slightly highbrow nature of the Sunday Observer, which unless I'm wrong was the only Sunday newspaper available in Melbourne at the time (you could get Sydney's Sunday papers, though); (2) the way in which Leunig himself was, firstly, a revolutionary and secondly, the way in which the newspaper really adopted his ethos/aesthetic as its own in a very adventurous manner; (3) the slow emergence of an Australian (yes, obviously, a white Australian) 'culture' in the television world (mainly focusing here on current affairs programs and, yes, Homicide but even more so Division 4, which I have yet to examine in any depth but which was obviously seen by the grand poobahs at the Sunday Observer as even more groundbreaking than the original Crawfords police drama, but also on some local comedy eg the Noel Ferrier program mentioned here which I know nothing about - I think Ferrier is someone who needs more examination - a very interesting figure, not least for his radio partnership with Mary Hardy, another very interesting figure, all these things will be lost soon enough). There are probably some other things I could add with numbers in brackets but three's enough for your concentration span, and more importantly, mine. 

I think I am also going to have to look a little more in-depth at Tony Morphett's Dynasty. I have the novel (I bought two this year, Dynasty and Mayor's Nest. Mayor's Nest is so bad it's bad, or at least, it's one of those pallid political satires that lost whatever freshness it might have had in 1960whatever when its contents were exposed to air/subsequent events, within a few months or years. So, very hard to read. But Morphett's Dynasty was well-received and he essentially ended up a television writer by the 70s, or at least, that's what he was best known for. Shame, or not a shame, I don't know.)

Oh, (4): the meaning of the teapot in the work of Michael Leunig, especially when worn on the head. This I imagine is quite an early example. But is the teapot a symbol of suburban conformity and cosy domesticity, or (as it came to be) general provocative absurdity? 

michael leunig in 1970

It was slim pickings in the State Library today, not their fault, I was really actually truth be told just looking for a few skerricks to prop up some bigger ideas-studies-papers, so that's all fine. But while I was waiting for my order to come in (I just missed the 11:00 retrieval by minutes, and had to wait for an hour) I scrolled through a few weeks of the Sunday Observer in late 1970, which was quite a paper. And Michael Leunig was working for it, doing what I am going to propose was possibly some of the most groundbreaking work of any cartoonist of a mainstream newspaper anywhere in the world (or at least the anglosphere) at that time. 

Here he is having a go at the Libs: 

To be fair I don't really know the full context of this snipe at Gorton, but I love the set up of the viewer 'pulling back' from Gorton in the studio in the first two panels, to him being on tv in the second, the pullback continuing, and the dog attacking the tv leg:

Not 100% sure of all the fine details of 'La Bonzer' but that's OK. This is pretty nifty as a piece: 

This one is atypically detailed and structured, I think ML has really enjoyed all the elements and the slight reference to renaissance perspective is excellent. 

Another anti-Vietnam war cartoon that needs no further comment from me:

This kind of thing was probably still pretty radical for the mainstream in 1970, I'm not sure, but in any case, it's succinct and pointed:

But these last two are the best because really they're not that political - or they're a different kind of political and it's not savage. With hindsight you could see where he was going (well, not all the way to where he was going, but where he was going to his years of greatness):

You have to admit that's pretty incredibly funny. 

 

Jane Sullivan, 'The Cartoonists' Melbourne Age 20 December 1980 p. 31

 Melbourne Age 19 December 1980 p. 12

 Melbourne Age 19 December 1980 p. 16

 Melbourne Age 9 December 1980 p. 12

 Melbourne Age 6 December 1980 p. 22

 Melbourne Age 5 December 1980 p. 12