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Gerald Scarfe

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Gerald Scarfe
CBERDI
Illustration of Scarfe
Born
Gerald Anthony Scarfe

(1936-06-01)1 June 1936(age 88)
London, England
Known for
Notable workPink Floyd – The Wall(1982)
Hercules(1997)
Spouse
​
(m.1981)​
Children3

Gerald Anthony ScarfeCBERDI(born 1 June 1936) is an Englishcartoonistandillustrator.He has worked aseditorial cartoonistforThe Sunday Timesand illustrator forThe New Yorker.

His other work includes graphics for rock groupPink Floyd,particularly on their 1979 albumThe Wall,its1982 film adaptation,and tour (1980–81), as well as the music video for "Welcome to the Machine".[1][2]Scarfe was the production designer on theDisneyanimated featureHercules(1997). Scarfe also provided the opening titles forYes MinisterandYes, Prime Minister.

Early life

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Scarfe was born inSt John's Wood,London.[3]As Scarfe was severelyasthmaticas a child, he spent many of his early years bed-ridden,[4]so drawing became a means of entertainment as well as a creative outlet. Scarfe speculated that the dark and grotesque images that often characterise his work are a result of his loneliness and asthma.[4]Scarfe has stated that the irreverence apparent in much of his work can be traced back to "dodgy treatments" and a reliance on what he feels were incompetent doctors.[5]

The cartoonistRonald Searlewas an early influence for Scarfe. At the age of 14 and now living inHampstead,North London, Scarfe decided it would be easy to cycle toBayswaterand visit Searle. He went several times but never rang the doorbell. It would be decades before he would actually meet Searle in 2005.[6]Scarfe attendedSaint Martin's School of Art(now part of theUniversity of the Arts London) inHolborn,London.[7]He also attended theLondon College of Printing,[7]and East Ham Technical College (nowNewham College of Further Education).[8]

Career

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Early work

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After briefly working in advertising, a profession he grew to dislike intensely, Scarfe's earlycaricaturesof public figures were published in satirical magazinePrivate Eyethroughout the 1960s and 1970s. Beginning in 1960, he produced illustrations forPunch,The Evening StandardandThe Daily Sketch.The Sunday Timesmagazine assigned Scarfe to cover the 1964 US presidential election. He continued to work forThe Sunday Timesfor two years, also producing several cover illustrations forTimemagazine, including caricatures of The Beatles in 1967.[9]

In the mid-1960s he took a job at theDaily Mailfollowing aDutch auctionfor his services with theDaily Express.His decision to work for theDaily Mailled to his estrangement from fellow cartoonistRalph Steadman,alongside whom he had studied art at East Ham Technical College. Soon after, Steadman was commissioned to illustrate Scarfe and "produced an image that was half saint and half Superman, but with a disconnected heart".[10]Scarfe spent only one year working for theDaily Mail,during which time he was sent to provide illustrations from theVietnam War.

Pink Floyd and Roger Waters

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Scarfe was approached to work withPink FloydafterRoger WatersandNick Masonboth saw his animatedBBCfilmA Long Drawn Out Trip.Pink Floyd's 1974 programme for their tour in the UK and US, in the form of a comic, included a centre-spread caricature of the band.[11]Scarfe later produced a set of animated short clips used on the 1977In The Fleshtour, including a full-length music video for the songWelcome to the Machine.[12]

Scarfe also drew the illustrations for their 1979 albumThe Walland provided animation and stage props, including enormous inflatable characters for the subsequent1980–1981 concert tour in support of that album.[11]In 1982, he worked on thefilm version ofThe Wall,although he and Roger Waters fell out with directorAlan Parkerduring the latter stages of editing.[13]As well as the artwork, Scarfe contributed 15 minutes' worth of elaborate animation to the film, including a sequence depictingthe German bombing campaign over England during World War II,set to the song "Goodbye Blue Sky".Some of the animated footage was not original to the film, having been produced for and used in the 1980–81 concert tour, as well as being featured in the 1979music videofor "Another Brick in the Wall: Part 2".[citation needed]

Scarfe continued to work with Roger Waters after the latter left Pink Floyd, creating the graphics and animation for Waters' solo albumThe Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking(1984) and its supporting tour.[13]Scarfe was also involved in subsequent theatrical adaptations ofThe Wall,includingThe Wall Concert in Berlin(1990),[13]and Waters' worldwideThe Wall Live (2010-2013)tour, where his animations were projected on a vast scale. Scarfe's collaboration with Waters was marked in 2008 by the release of a signed limited-edition eight-print series, "Scarfe on the Wall", which contained a monograph book with an extended new interview with Scarfe and was signed by Roger Waters. Early editions of "Scarfe on The Wall" (by date of pre-order, not issue number) came with an additional print giving a total of nine in the set - making these the rarest and most valuable sets. In 2010, Scarfe's bookThe Making of Pink Floyd: The Wallwas published, detailing the artist's work with Pink Floyd and Roger Waters from 1974 to 2010. The book contains contributions from Floyd members Roger Waters, Nick Mason, andDavid Gilmour,as well as director of the film, Alan Parker.[14]

The Fall And Rise of Reginald Perrin

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He designed the 'Grot' logo for the BBC TV seriesThe Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.

Yes Minister

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He provided caricatures ofPaul Eddington,SirNigel HawthorneandDerek Fowlds(as their respective characters) for the opening and closing sequences ofYes MinisterandYes, Prime Minister.[15]

Hercules

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Scarfe was approached to work on the 1997DisneyfilmHerculesbyRon ClementsandJohn Musker,longtime fans who had risen to prominence within Disney following the success ofThe Little Mermaid.Scarfe worked as a conceptual character artist, designing almost all of the characters and then supervising the 900 Disney artists charged with adapting his designs for the film.[16]

Postage stamps

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TheRoyal Mailused Scarfe's artwork for a set of fivecommemorative postage stamps,issued on 23 April 1998. Honoring English comedians, the stamps feature Scarfe caricatures ofTommy Cooper,Eric Morecambe,Joyce Grenfell,Les DawsonandPeter Cook.[17][18]

Millennium Dome sculpture

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He was invited to create a sculpture for theMillennium Dome,which was entitled "Self Portrait". The Dome's chief executive PY Gerbeau said "it mirrors what we like – and what we don't – about our nation".[19]

Theatre/stage design

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Scarfe has designed sets for a number of operatic productions, includingTobias Picker'sFantastic Mr. Fox.Following a chance meeting at aBBCprom he worked withPeter Hallon his version ofMozart'sThe Magic Flute,which drew critical acclaim. He is lined up to provide animation forJim Steinman'sBat Out of Hell,a stage show featuring Steinman's music.[citation needed]Scarfe designed the sets and costumes for the English National Opera's 1988 production ofOrpheus in the Underworld;among the costumes Scarfe designed were those of the characters Orpheus, Eurydice, and the Gods of Mount Olympus. He also produced all the costume and scenery designs for the 2002Christopher Hampsonproduction ofThe Nutcracker,for theEnglish National Ballet.[20][citation needed]

Heroes and Villains

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In 2003 Scarfe collaborated with theNational Portrait GalleryandBBC Fourto make caricatures of a number of famous Britons, to depict (along with guest commentary) their heroic and villainous attributes. Amongst the over 30 portraits he depicted included caricatures ofHenry VIII,Winston Churchill,Queen Elizabeth I,Pete Best,Richard Branson,Adam Smith,William Blake,The Beatles,Agatha ChristieandDiana, Princess of Wales.In 2009, he also created a caricature ofJames Mayout ofLegowhich was shown in episode 5 ofJames May's Toy Stories.Scarfe andJane Asheralso appeared in the episode.[citation needed]

Netanyahu cartoon

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In its edition of 27 January 2013 (Britain'sHolocaust Memorial Day), London'sSunday Timespublished a cartoon by Scarfe depicting Israel's Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahupaving a wall with the blood and bodies ofPalestinians,captioned "Israeli elections—will cementing peace continue?"[21]The cartoon's timing and content was criticised by groups including theEuropean Jewish Congressand theBoard of Deputies of British Jews,with accusations ofantisemitismleveled against Scarfe.[22][23]

Unaware the cartoon would appear onHolocaust Memorial Day,[24]Scarfe argued that the cartoon was clearly aimed specifically at Netanyahu and his policies, and were in response to his election, rather than being related to Holocaust Memorial Day.[25][26]The newspaper's proprietor,Rupert Murdoch,apologised for the cartoon onTwitter,and acting editorMartin Ivenspromised to be more vigilant in future.[27]

The cartoon was published in the Israeli newspaperHaaretz,whereAnshel Pfefferdiscusses the cartoon in great detail, giving four reasons why, in his opinion, the cartoon is not antisemitic.[28]WriterHoward Jacobsonclaimed the cartoon was not antisemitic.[29]British Chief RabbiLord Sackscondemned the cartoon.[30]

Recycled Radio

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Since June 2013, Scarfe has presented a programme onBBC Radio 4calledRecycled Radio,[31]which is described as "the chopped-up, looped-up, sped-up world...where old programmes are reused to explore a series of weighty subjects".[32]

Bristol Charity Auction

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In October 2013 Scarfe donated his time to decorate one of the large Wallace & Gromit statues to be auctioned for the Bristol hospital charity that was featured live on the BBC.[33]His contribution finally ending up being sold to an internet bidder from Miami Florida where the statue was exported into a private collection, ultimately topping all estimates on value with a bid second highest only to the Pixar statue contribution.

Personal life

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He is married to actressJane Asher,whom he met in 1971.[34]The couple wed in 1981[35]and have a daughter and two sons.[36]

Awards and accolades

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Bibliography

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  • Scarfe, Gerald (1966).Gerald Scarfe's People.
  • —— (1982).Gerald Scarfe.Thames & Hudson.ISBN978-0500272688.
  • —— (1985).Father Kissmass and Mother Claws.Hamish Hamilton.ISBN978-0241116951.authored withBel Mooney
  • —— (1986).Scarfe by Scarfe: An Autobiography in Pictures.Hamish Hamilton.ISBN978-0241119594.
  • —— (1987).Seven Deadly Sins.Hamish Hamilton.ISBN978-0241123942.
  • —— (1993).Scarfeface.Sinclair-Stevenson.ISBN978-1856193139.
  • —— (2003).Heroes and Villains: Scarfe at the National Portrait Gallery.National Portrait Gallery.ISBN978-1855143388.
  • —— (2005).Drawing Blood: Forty Five Years of Scarfe.Little, Brown Book Group.ISBN978-0316729529.
  • —— (2008).Monsters: How George Bush Saved the World….Little, Brown Book Group.ISBN978-1408700853.
  • —— (2010).The Making of Pink Floyd - The Wall.Orion.ISBN978-0306819971.
  • —— (2019).Long Drawn Out Trip: A Memoir.Little, Brown Book Group.ISBN9780349143491.
  • —— (2019).Scarfe: Sixty Years of Being Rude.Little, Brown Book Group.ISBN9781408711712.
  • —— (2021).The Art of Pink Floyd The Wall.Little, Brown Book Group.ISBN9781408714324.

References

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  1. ^John Walker. (1987)"Gerald Scarfe & Pink Floyd"Archived1 February 2012 at theWayback Machine.InCross-Overs: Art into Pop, Pop into Art/artdesigncafe.Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  2. ^"Interview with Floydian Slip radio program".Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2010.Retrieved8 November2010.
  3. ^GRO Register of Births: SEP 1936 1a 774 HAMPSTEAD, Gerald A. Scarfe, mmn = Gardner
  4. ^abGraham, 4 October 2019 Jane (4 October 2019)."Gerald Scarfe: How my childhood loneliness led to my grotesque cartoons".Big Issue.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^Perry, Kevin (27 February 2007)."Gerald Scarfe feature interview and profile".London, UK:The Beaver.Archivedfrom the original on 20 January 2013.Retrieved29 September2010.
  6. ^Salter, Jessica (17 June 2010)."Gerald Scarfe, political cartoonist".The Telegraph.Archived fromthe originalon 23 December 2013.
  7. ^abMaurice Horn(1983).The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons,Volume 4. London: Chelsea House Publishers.ISBN9780877543992.p. 495. Accessed August 2013.
  8. ^Fantoni, Barry (5 September 2019).A Whole Scene Going On: Inside the Sixties - From Private Eye to the Pop Revolution.Birlinn.ISBN9781788852401.
  9. ^Souter, Nick; Souter, Tessa (2012).The Illustration Handbook: A guide to the world's greatest illustrators.Oceana. p. 307.ISBN978-1-84573-473-2.
  10. ^Ralph Steadman(biography). British Cartoon Archive. University of Kent.Archivedfrom the original on 15 February 2012.Retrieved7 February2012.
  11. ^abMiles, Barry; Mabbett, Andy (1994).Pink Floyd - The Visual Documentary.London: Omnibus.ISBN978-0711941090.
  12. ^Simone, Michael."A Long Drawn-Out Trip: An Interview with Gerald Scarfe".REG Magazine(22). Archived fromthe originalon 20 August 2007.Retrieved26 January2007.
  13. ^abcMabbett, Andy (2010).Pink Floyd - The Music and the Mystery.London: Omnibus.ISBN9781849383707.
  14. ^"BBC News Meet The Author: Gerald Scarfe on His Role with Pink Floyd",BBC News,25 October 2010
  15. ^"Scarfe's Yes Minister art on sale".Evening Standard.5 April 2012.
  16. ^Membery, York (25 March 2011)."Political drawing-room".Financial Times.Archivedfrom the original on 17 August 2016.Retrieved24 July2016.
  17. ^"The laugh post!".Daily Record (Scotland).2 March 1998. Archived fromthe originalon 11 June 2014.Retrieved25 January2014– viaHighBeam Research.
  18. ^"Comic genius is licked".News.bbc.co.uk.BBC. 23 April 1998.Archivedfrom the original on 3 February 2014.Retrieved26 January2014.
  19. ^"Tour the Dome".BBC News.2000.Archivedfrom the original on 13 June 2007.Retrieved4 March2007.
  20. ^Monahan, Mark (5 December 2010)."English National Ballet fights on".The Daily Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Archivedfrom the original on 24 February 2019.Retrieved23 February2019.
  21. ^JPost staff (27 January 2013)."'Sunday Times' mocks Holocaust with Israel cartoon ".The Jerusalem Post.Archivedfrom the original on 2 February 2013.Retrieved26 January2014.
  22. ^Offensive anti-Israel cartoon in London's Sunday Times called blood libel,JTA, 7 December 2013, archived fromthe originalon 31 January 2013
  23. ^"Cartoon continues to stir controversy".ynetnews.Archivedfrom the original on 26 August 2014.Retrieved7 June2014.
  24. ^Jennifer Lipman"Scarfe" regrets timing "of Sunday Times Netanyahu cartoon"Archived31 January 2013 at theWayback Machine,The Jewish Chronicle,28 January 2013.
  25. ^Pfeffer, Anshel (28 January 2013),"Four reasons why UK cartoon of Netanyahu isn't anti-semitic in any way",Ha’aretz,archivedfrom the original on 28 January 2013,retrieved28 January2013
  26. ^"Outcry over UK paper's cartoon showing bloody Israeli oppression",The Times of Israel,archivedfrom the original on 30 January 2013,retrieved28 January2013
  27. ^"Rupert Murdoch apologises over Gerald Scarfe cartoon"Archived25 August 2018 at theWayback Machine,BBC News, 29 January 2013.
  28. ^Mark Gardner and Anshel Pfeffer"Is the Sunday Times cartoon antisemitic?"Archived26 November 2016 at theWayback Machine,The Guardian,29 January 2013. The citation featured a reprint of theHaaretzarticle by Pfeffer, which is only available via subscription on the original site.
  29. ^Howard Jacobson."I don't care for Scarfe's cartoon but..."Archived26 September 2015 at theWayback Machine,The Independent,1 February 2013.
  30. ^British Chief Rabbi condemns Scarfe cartoonArchived1 February 2013 at theWayback Machine,29 January 2013; accessed 7 June 2014.
  31. ^Hepworth, David (1 June 2013)."Next week's radio: from Recycled Radio to 5 Live's Big Day Out".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 18 November 2016.Retrieved18 November2016.
  32. ^"Recycled Radio".BBC Radio 4.Archivedfrom the original on 20 November 2016.Retrieved18 November2016.
  33. ^"Gromit statue auction raises £2.3m for Bristol hospital".BBC News.4 October 2013.
  34. ^"My Secret Life: Jane Asher, actress & cook".Independent.co.uk.18 September 2011.
  35. ^GRO Register of Marriages: SEP 1981 13 1708 KEN&CHELSEA - Scarfe = Asher
  36. ^Thorpe, Vanessa (28 October 2012)."Scarfe Jr takes up father's satirical pen".The Observer.
  37. ^Pearlman, Julia."Media Bulletin".Brandrepublic.Archivedfrom the original on 13 March 2007.Retrieved24 August2019.
  38. ^"British Press Awards: Past winners".Press Gazette.29 November 2007.
  39. ^"No. 58729".The London Gazette(Supplement). 14 June 2008. p. 8.
  40. ^"Thatcher cartoonist Gerald Scarfe is Dorset fossil namesake".BBC Online.21 November 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 22 November 2011.Retrieved22 November2011.
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Videos

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