Existing comment:
Liberty Leading the People
In 2014, Oliphant began to move towards full retirement; after a few months of not sending any cartoons out, he published this work not long after the terrorist massacre of twelve employees at the offices of the satirical French cartoon publication Charlie Hebdo. Though Oliphant has his doubts about the periodical's often ham-fisted content, this piece reveals the impact of the event upon him as a life-long champion of free speech. The cartoon is a reinterpretation of Eugene Delacroix's 1830 painting of the same name, in Oliphant's gestural late style. Bayonets are replaced with pens, and in the left margin, the phrase "Je suis CHarlie" may be seen in light pencil. |