FREE ESSAY ON MICHAEL LEUNIG

MICHAEL LEUNIG

Michael Leunig Essay
By Malcolm Wanstall
Question: Write an essay in which you discuss how Michael Leunig challenges us to examine
our life in the modern world. Make sure you refer closely to the visual techniques he
uses to convey his ideas
Answer: Michael Leunig is a very successful cartoonist whose cartoons ponder the minds of
even the greatest philosopher. He is one of very few cartoonists who have managed to
convey such thought and feeling into a thing that is generally considered to be a light
hearted approach towards communication.
Michael Leunig is highly gifted: he's not just an artist or cartoonist, but also a clever
poet and uniquely insightful social commentator. He is able to communicate profound
critique of social and other issues in a way that I have seen no other cartoonist do.
Even the slime of political issues takes on a sublime perspective through the uncanny
vision of Leunig. I can only guess from my appreciation of his work, that he has immense
life experience in the realms of human relationships, introspection, spirituality and
more. He has been reported as stating that through his work, he attempts to give voice to
the voiceless. 
Leunig also does many cartoons that are quite dream-like, and there are recurring
characters in many of his works. Mr. Curly and ducks appear to be among his favourites.
His cartoons appear regularly in the a few papers including the Herald and a few more.
There is a regular following of his work, and sometimes, there is lively dialogue in the
Letters to the Editor praising or arguing for and against his work as it often tends to
be controversial as it challenges us to think about ourselves and our lives.
The question is asking how Michael Leunig challenges us to re-examine what we are doing
in the modern day world. He does this in such a way that sometimes it offends people.
These people are usually people who are happy with what they believe and don't want to
broaden their horizons or more specifically let someone else do it for them. However,
this is exactly what Leunig's work does. It makes you speculate and think about what you
consider to be the norm, to simply be 'life' and it takes someone like Leunig to prove
everyone wrong.
Leunig tends to use very simplistic methods when he is drawing his cartoons and tends not
to focus at all on the persons clothes or background but more on such things as personal
stance and facial expressions. This simplistic way of drawing has a great impact on the
way the drawings are taken in. It is almost like he has drawn them from the perspective
of a child and, with this, it is showing the innocence and purity in his art work. It is
this simplistic look which makes it all so detailed. He uses these simplistic drawings to
a major advantage because he makes them the focus of the whole caption. Your eyes are
drawn straight away to the important parts. It is through these few facial features (eg.
Eyes and mouth) that he can depict a whole story and that to me is amazing.
The thing that amazes people most about Leunig's work is how insightful it is and how it
manages to make everyone just sit there, looking straight at it, filled with thought.
Every single cartoon can touch you on a very personal level and open you up to a whole
new way of thinking. He does not have to lay everything there in front of you like a
mathematical equation; he simply gives you a new way to tackle a subject and lets you do
the rest. 
The use of symbols and symbolistic objects are used in excess in all of Leunig's works.
This is a visual technique in which Michael Leunig harnesses extremely well. These
symbols are examples of the visual metaphors that are the basis of Leunig's work. They
show a great deal of depth and meaning. Often small natural objects such as flowers
appear in the frames, a gentle reminder of the purity and harmony of nature. Flowers are
also used to represent the beauty and simplicity of nature. Leunig has a great passion
for the natural world and believes we should be going back towards that way of life. This
presents a spiritual challenge for the cartoon viewer. It challenges them to connect with
nature and find true beauty, and therefore find a meaning in life.
It is clear that Michael Leunig shall be respected for the rest of time as one of the
worlds greatest cartoonists and it is because of his insightful nature and his ability to
think beyond the lateral way that sets him apart from most others. He uses his way of
thinking in such a way that challenges us to examine our life I the modern day world. 
Bibliography
Sydney Morning Herald - Various Editions.