What're You Laughin' At? 1940

Clifford Kennedy Berryman made this drawing, *What’re You Laughin’ At?*, with ink on paper. Look at the confident strokes, the clarity of line and form. The cartoon is made with quick, almost scribbled marks, but look closer and you’ll notice the precision and control it takes to create a caricature like this. The humor lands because of the specific angle of the pen. Look at the sphinx’s smiling face; the shading gives it a 3-D effect. The cartoon relies on cross hatching to give the impression of light and shadow, creating depth to the characters. The lines are used in different densities to give the impression of texture. Berryman reminds me a little of Honoré Daumier, a master of capturing human folly and social commentary with just a few strokes. Art is always a conversation, isn’t it? It is not necessarily about finding one "right" answer, but more about embracing the richness of interpretation.