The “Pierre” competition, the oldest and most massive, also raises questions about the survival of this form of art

EVERY fall, when, in the spirit of their best tradition, “Večernje Novosti” announces the contest for the best newspaper cartoon, the famous “Pier”, numerous, often painful questions arise about the position of this artistic discipline and those who create it.

Although the event, which will mark its 57th edition this year, is one of the last refuges of that specific view of the world, even those who observe life more brightly through caricature, when it comes to its survival in public space, cannot avoid skepticism.

– No matter how bad the news is, no matter how gloomy the headlines, you can always count on a smile from at least one corner of the daily newspaper. Well, once upon a time – claims Tošo Borković, cartoonist of our newspaper for many decades, but also the absolute record holder of “Pjera”, who won as many as five gold medals at this competition, but also brought and brings important recognitions to Serbia from around the world. – Editorial cartooning is a dying profession. There are few professional authors, only a few in our country and they are mostly veterans. It’s hard to publish a cartoon and get paid decently for it. Online publications pay far less. So we see very few young cartoonists emerging. The Pulitzer Prize failed to name a winner in the editorial cartoon category for the first time in nearly half a century. “Večernje novosti” has a great and uninterrupted tradition in editorial cartooning, they also organize the most important contest for the best cartoon “Pier”, and are still a safe house for cartooning. In the crazy world we live in, the art of visual commentary is needed more than ever. And humor.

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And last year’s “Golden Pier” laureate (also a multiple winner of this award), NIN caricaturist and retired professor of the Faculty of Applied Arts, Jugoslav Vlahović, believes that society could show more attention and care towards caricature.

– When our athletes, writers or actors receive a domestic, and especially a world award, all the media praise them, the press brings news or long articles with pictures – says the winner of a large number of international and domestic awards. – Cups are kissed, medals are bitten, smiles are spread on the big TV screens while the kairons slide proudly from right to left. They wave from the balcony, the stage. Presidents and ministers send congratulations, sometimes money. But when cartoonists get them, nothing, silence. Ministry of Arts and Culture or MUK. They do not support any proposal, they fund almost none.

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And according to his experience, as well as the experience of other colleagues, awards for caricature are much more difficult to get today at international competitions than before:

– In the past, papers were sent by post, now mostly via the Internet, so the number of submitted papers is often measured in the thousands. To win an award in so much competition is really a feat that should be recognized in the media, which seems to be afraid to announce it. And the government’s fear of caricature and satire has always existed. And Petar Križanić, publishing in “Koprive”, took the nickname Pjer to evade the authorities in Zagreb, and then moved to Belgrade, a century ago.

In the world, according to Vlahović, however, interest in caricature is growing, there are more and more competitions, and new nations are appearing, in addition to the already established Turkey, Iran, and China, there are also Indonesia, Morocco, and Egypt. In some countries where caricatures caused great social polemics and even mass suffering, such as Denmark or France (from which he had just arrived, as a participant in a competition in a small town near Limonge), special care is taken of this form of public expression.

– As a member of a jury, I was in Denmark, where in Copenhagen, in the Center for Caricature, they preserve heritage with 230,000 originals and newspaper reproductions. On January 15, France will mark the tenth anniversary of the “Charlie Hebdo” massacre. Fortunately, there were no such events in our country that would draw attention to caricature and cartoonists. But we have a very long and rich tradition that should be preserved. That’s why I appeal to open a caricature museum, in which “Pierre” would have a special, important place – says Vlahović.