Building blocks for multimodal metaphors: Iconic
segments and artistic parodies in cartoons
Ludmilla A’Beckett
Cagliari, 20-24 June 2014
Aims
Demonstrate mocking of Delacroix
picture “Liberty leading the
people” in different cultural
contexts
 Discuss target domains constructed
through parodies of this picture
 Discuss various guises of the image
of the Liberty
 Comment on constituents of this
image and its contextual variations

Theoretical assumptions

Many cartoonists use famous works of arts as a base for visual
realisation of their message

The originality of the multimodal message can be explained
through optimal innovation, i.e. the automatic recovery of
familiar, salient meaning, which is at the forefront of our mind
due to frequency, conventionality and/or prototypicallity
(Giora, 2004, El Rafaie, 2013)

Schilperoord (2013) applied the blending theory for
interpreting Iwo Jima-inspired editorial cartoons

Schilperoord suggested considering the following cognitive
operations in the cartoons’ meaning construction: removal,
distortion, insertion and substitution
SOURCE-PATH-GOAL structure in
interpretation





Implementation of SOURE-PARTH-GOAL structuring in
interpretation (Veal, Feyaerts, Forceville 2013, p. 49).
SOURCE can be represented by multiple inputs of the
image.
PARTH explains basic operations of combinations.
GOAL includes the TARGET (new situation) and the
Rhetorical impact on the audience.
"[Deciding what connotations have been mapped from
source to target is the interpretative part of metaphor
analysis. (Bounegru and Forceville ,p. 213).
Liberty who leads the people

In his painting Eugene Delacroix
commemorated the July Revolution of
1830, which toppled King Charles X of
France.

A woman personifying Liberty leads the
people forward over the bodies of the
fallen, holding the flag of the French
Revolution – the tricolour flag which is still
France's flag today – in one hand and
brandishing a bayonetted musket with the
other. The figure of Liberty is also viewed
as a symbol of France and the French
Republic known as Marianne.
The image of Liberty

Liberty strides barefoot and
bare breasted being an
allegoric figure of a
Goddess. Traditionally, in
Romantic paintings, having
women’s breasts on show
indicated power and
supernatural strength. The
erotic realism of her nudity
alludes to ancient winged
victories. She spurs the men
to their final victory. She is
caught up in the heat of the
moment (see Jones, 2005).
The image of Liberty

Further investigating
these ‘symbols’
[language-like
properties], which
might benefit from arthistorical research, will
further help assess their
special place in
multimodal
research.(Bonegru and
Forceville, 2011, p.225)
Evaluation by art- historians
Delacroix's political masterpiece does not depict the
peaceful and eminently reasonable, not to say bourgeois,
outcome of the 1830 Paris uprising, but its moment of
anarchic freedom, when anything seemed possible. It is
the most enduring image of what revolution feels like, from
within: ecstatic, violent, libidinal and murderous (Jones,
2005).
Cartoon 1. “Who needs the Chestnut Revolution?” ( Russian
coverage of the Orange Revolution) AiF No 48, 2004. By A.
Dorofeev.

ORANGE REVOLUTIONARIES ARE LARRIKINS, DRUNKARDS AND
PROSTITUTES. There are no oppressors to be overthrown.

Tymoshenko’s APPEARANCE: nudity as a sign of narcissism and
libidinal power [verbal cues in the text and description of
Tymoshenko in the Russian newspapers, e.g. Lady who is pleasant
in all respect, Yulia Timoshenko with her sexy hairstyle and fancy
dresses ... is a lady one lusts after a lot, ‘There are attempts to
present Yushchenko and Timoshenko as heralds of liberation. But
who lacked freedom and what sort of freedom was lacking in
Ukraine? It’s clear that it is not about abstract ideals of
democracy.

Barefoot—the mismanagement by the oppositionists leads to the
poverty. Leaders try to show their solidarity with the deprived
(poor) class. Verbal cues: ‘Every ‘freedom fighter’ costs a fortune
for the opposition. According to some sources, a billion dollars
has already been spent on the Orange Revolution—and the
Ukrainian economy has lost during two weeks of confrontation
approximately the same amount.”
Revolutionaries -ecstatic, violent,
libidinal anarchy

Ilya Repin Reply of the Zaporozhian
Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of the
Ottoman Empire.

Cossacks—Ukrainian national
character

Sultan Mehmed—Putin

They are aroused by Tymoshenko’s
nudity; treacherous, perfidious,
spontaneous. Negative underpinning
of Cossacks’ character.

REVOLUTIONARIES: drunk, vulgar,
excited by the prospects of
showing off.
Conceptual scheme-’barefoot is
poor’
AiF, Andrei Dorofeev, 2005. ABDUCTION OF
THE BEAUTY. The central figure is Catherine
from the authorial illustration of the poem
Catherine by national Ukrainian poet Taras
Shevchenko. Catherine is a poor Ukrainian
peasant girl seduced by a Russian army
officer. “O lovely maidens fall in love, But not
with Moskaly For Moskaly are foreign folk,
They do not treat you right. A Moskal will love
you for sport, And laughing depart
(translated by Vera Rich). Catherine
represents Ukraine abducted by
Americans—not Moskals. The connotation:
Ukraine is gullible, inexperienced and will be
dumped later.
Conceptual scheme “barefoot is
poor”
Cartoon 2 by Andrey Dorofeev AiF

THE WESTERN REVOLUTIONARY
THOUGHTS AND ACTVITIES
IMPORTED TO THE RUSSIAN SOIL
ARE

FORNICATION, PROMISCUITY,
DEBAUCHERY AND PERVERSION

Stiletto shoes are a symbol of
female sexual power (according
to the respondents of my survey)

Bare breast and naked
bodies+lingerie and blue colour
represent sexual innuendo and
philandering
Cartoon 3 by Andrey Dorofeev

Caption: Does America bring
liberty?

AMERICAN LIBERTY = VIOLENCE,
DEBAUCHERY, GUNS,
UNRESTRAINED INDIVIDUALISM,
PORNOGRAPHY

PATH: BARE BREAST and NAKED
BODY PARTS+LINGERIE
=PORNOGRAPHY, UNRESTRAINED
LIBIDO; A TEENAGER WITH PISTOL=
VIOLENCE, UNRESTRICTED USE OF
GUNS; THE WORSHIPPING
FIGURE+DEAD
BODIES=INDIVIDUALISM
Representation of sexual power by
Andrey Dorofeev, AiF

Caption: The hour for serials.

SOAP OPERA IS REPRESENTED BY
SEXUAL,VULGUR AND DIRTY
TOPICS, BRAINWASHING
TECHNIQUES, POPULAR ACTORS
and SHALLOW SUBJECTS

PATH: Bare breasts and naked
bodies =sexual grip; rubbing and
soaping body parts=brainwashing;
water in a bowl and saucepan,
dirty water=shallow and vulgar
topics
Australian perspective. Chaos
leading the Parliament

Liberty—the first woman and foreign born Prime
Minister in Australia. Julia Gillard takes the
leadership in the Parliament after the leaders of
the Liberal Party suffered defeat . She leaves
behind the former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
(from her own party)with his boyish enthusiasm
and attitudes. The leader of the opposition
(current Prime Minister) Tony Abbott bares her
flesh which reveals her feminine nature.
Question: Can this woman lead voiceless and
powerless? Bare foot=soft climb? Sadami Konchi
June 28,
2010.http://sadamisgraffiti.blogspot.com/2010/0
6/joke-joke-joke.html

Chaos = Australia in search of a decent leader.
Is she resolute enough to lead the men?
Australian perspective, The
Australian 2012

Liberty leading the people = the Australian
Labour Party and Julia Gillard promoting the
communist ideas of class struggle is ready to
reverse them if opinion polls find them
unpopular.

Path: Bare breast and barefoot Julia Gillard
represents solidarity with working class, poor
and relying on basic instincts.

David Penberthy, suggested that the idea of
class struggle was “stupid” in a country like
Australia, and that Gillard might have to back
off if the electorate found it unpopular. The
cartoon accompanying Penberthy’s piece
depicted Gillard as Delacroix’s bare-breasted
Liberty leading the people.
Bulgaria,2013, Anger at politicians,
EU ideals, the energy of youth

During the summer protests in
Sofia, on July 14, a group of
protesters expressed their anger by
recreating Eugene Delacroix’s
panting “Liberty Leading the
People,” but instead of the French
flag, Lady Liberty is proudly
holding the Bulgarian flag. The
performance was intended to be
a “thank you” to the French
Ambassador Philippe Autie and
German Ambassador Matthias
Hoepfner for their support in
renouncing back-door dealings
with oligarchs in Bulgarian politics.
(Sara Lipkis, 2013)
Functions of Lady Liberty in new
contexts

Representation of changes

Representations of protests

Sometimes it is linked to the female leadership

Representation of freedom—sexual freedom, individualism,
violence, anger, challenge to the mighty rulers

Reversals=liberty is a reincarnation of a subversive reaction, ignoble
goals or retreat

Nudity=Greek classic tradition

Nudity=sexual grip, libidinal power

Nudity=proletarian and communist ideals
Conceptual scheme “barefoot”
represents “something”

Barefoot can be an incarnation of the classic tradition. Ancient
Greeks have been often portrayed being barefoot

In the tradition of the Russian realistic arts poor peasants are
barefoot. The Russian expression “To be naked and barefoot”= to
be poor and powerless

In the tradition of Russian classic art “to be barefoot” also= to be
free as a child

Some sports require being barefoot in the competition

The conceptual scheme can be blended or amended