Page 45 - DIVA_No.24_2006

Interview with Ranan Lurie, political cartoonists and

the artist behind the Uniting Painting

Ranan Lurie has been car kept on winning the whole
described as "the Cartoon- the time, so I never got out of the
Caesar", "the king of car!
American political cartoon-
ists. Not only does he hold Seeing our long career, and all
the record as the most the important filings that have
widely syndicated political happened, what is the event that
cartoonist in the world, he ,,,arked'oii the ,,zost?
has also received many
awards. The United States This is a very broad question. So
Senate granted him the many things... I personally
unprecedented honour of think that the most important
an exhibition of his political thing in this world is creativity,
art, sponsored jointly by and that creativity is a form of
the Republicans and the prayer. Pleasing God is to be
Democrats. creative.
Little did I know about his Q: So you inca,, that creativity
notoriety and his list of is a gift from God?
merits when, by pure acci-
dent, I first met him in New I am not religious in a tradition-
York last year. He kindly al sense, but I believe that we
invited me to come to the were created for a purpose. The Every day, I can create a cartoon
opening of his United purpose is not to eat a chocolate that interests a lot of newspapers Yes, but the ideas have to be real
Nations painting exhibition, or drink an espresso, etc. All worldwide-for instance, in ideas. They have to be pragmat-
and I must say that I have these are fun things to do in life, Switzerland it was the Neue ic, something that you can feel
never attended an event of but the purpose is really to create
Zurcher Zeitung (and many and touch. It just happens to be
this calibre. things from nothing, to add your smaller papers too but the big that my faith put me in the field
value to history. The fact is, we
one was the Neue Zurcher of creating ideas for cartoons. It
Upon my next visit to the remember Rembrandt, but we do Zeitung). In France, I worked for could have put my ideas into
Big Apple in early March of not remember the man who
Paris Match; Le Figaro. Le creating buildings as an archi-
this year, I wanted to know made the frames for his pictures. Figaro is my favourite paper. tect-or into medicine. As long as
more about the man and
one has to find solutions to situ-
the artist, so I called him If you can create something So, if you can create everyday a ations. To explain every political
up. 'Since you are not stay- from nothing-and this is your new idea, if you take this "idea- Situation to the people is like
ing long in the city, can you purpose in life-then the
machine" and say "O.K. Forget opening up a safe or a compli-
come on Sunday morn- Almighty-no matter whether you about cartooning. Today I want cated mechanism, so you open
ing?" he kindly asked. are Christian, Jewish or Muslim-
you to invent something, for the door and say: "Voila! This is
Despite his notoriety and is very pleased with you. You
instance, against cancer", I think really what is happening, for
celebrity, Ranan Lurie has have fulfilled your functions. So
the idea-machine can do it. I'm instance, in Iran."
remained simple and mod- the principle in my life was and built for it. Over so many years,
est. He received me in his still is always to create new
day after day, it is like a very Q: }im are explaining a commipli-
beautiful apartment on the things, whether it was cartoon- sharp pencil. So, one day, I was cated political fact to the people
60th floor of one of New ing or inventing some technical
driving at night in grey and rainy in the street. 11111$ does it work
York's most famous high- things. For instance, I have a weather. I did not see that the car or ho,, do You do it?
rise buildings, where he patent on rear break-lights for
in front of me had stopped and I
lives with his wife. cars.
could not tell how far away it You see, first of all you have to
was. I almost had an accident know what you want to Say. In
Ii '/i. thu you stall doing politi- Q: You have invented a rear-
cal caricatures? break light fir cars.' That has and said to myself: "We have to order to know what you want to
nothing to do with cartoon- have a way to solve this prob- say, you have to add knowledge.
lem". And I found a way to solve There is a certain routine to col-
At the age of 4, I was in kinder- ing... it: the stronger you press on the lect the knowledge. It happens
garten, and I used to draw well.
brakes the stronger the lights day after day, week after week,
The little girls used to be Do not forget that, in my busi-
glow. So when the light is very month after month, year after
impressed, so I presume it was ness, my kind of drawing is to indistinct you know that it's far year. It eventually accumulates
my tool to impress them. When I invent something new everyday. away and when it is very bright into being a very knowledgeable
was 16, I started to publish them
you know it's close to you. regime. Then you have tech-
professionally. It just took off Q: How do iou fimid the ideas?
niques for analysing it, compar-
very well. Today, I wonder if
Q: if somebody told you that ing it to previous situations. I
nature did not force me to go I do not know, but I'm good at it.
Jo
'
into cartooning, as I never had I trust myself. Do you see these you are a ''savantn '', what have a small staff and I consult
would you sai'? Savant fou is with them. I can also pick up the
any chance of doing anything two shelves of books on the top somebody who can invent all phone and talk to an editor in
else. It went so well that it of my bookshelf? These are the
kind of things. You could say Zurich, or in Oslo, in London, in
seemed stupid not to continue, Guinness World Book of
like Professor Tournesol in Los Angeles who uses my work.
so I just continued. It was like Records from 1980 till 1999.
Timitin, for example. I could ask him for instance:
being bom into a racing car. The Every year I have an entry there.
2 2006 Diva 43