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What made an artist like Leonardo Da Vinci more complete was his desire to experiment. Like his contemporaries during the Renaissance era, his portfolio was dominated by artworks that showed idealism and emphasized the beauty of the human body. But Da Vinci was also interested in exaggeration and distortion of the human figure. Caricature is a visual short-hand that uses line art to present critical or judgemental content.

Da Vinci’s drawings and many others during that time and before cannot be classified as caricature in the traditional sense because they were not made with the primary intention of making humour.

Rather, they created the basis for the more developed artform practised today.
Caricature comes from ‘caricare’, which means ‘to load’.

The intention is not only to poke fun, but also to capture some sort of similarity to how the figure looks like in real life. It is a sharp and simple form of criticism.

The line drawings are not so much about detail, in fact, caricature employs the same ‘less is more’ philosophy as graphic design.
Drawing a figure to make it appear realistic may have been impressive during the Renaissance era, but not so much today.

Since the invention of the camera, the value of realistic drawings has deteriorated mainly because the photography device can make a better copy quicker and easier.

The dig difference between caricature and other forms of drawings is that its intend is to present humorous and satirical information. That information is encoded using one or a combination of techniques.

Substitution involves replacing the normal with something known for its specific function. Replacing a politician’s mouth with a megaphone or a radio speaker may be an indication that the subject talks too much. The humour is very clear and not many words are needed to explain the symbolism.

Another technique used in caricature is number or size contrast. A short person next to a taller figure can be made to look even smaller as an emphasis for size.

A caricature to show the difference in wealth between developed countries and the third world would use this technique.
Contrast is one of the most commonly employed techniques by caricaturists.
The creation of a big head disproportional to the rest of the body is not only a planned strategy meant to provide comparatively more detail to the facial area, but also provides the main focus for the composition.

Assimilation involves incorporating one thing or the other in a composition to accentuate meaning.
The addition of elements is meant to either create a comic effect or to add to the positive identification of the figure.

A rich and flamboyant businessman may have added to his caricature jewellery and other flashy items that pronounce his affluence.
By contrast, adding a begging bowl to a poorer person reinforces the idea of helplessness and abject poverty.

Intertexuality is a way of creating new meaning by referring to existing text and contexts but under the assumption that the targeted audience is acutely aware of the primary meaning.

The depiction of a person in the same iconic pose or stamina as, say a sumo wrestler implies that the person is big and strong.
Recently, troubled dance-hall singer Vybz Kartel released a book with an image of him striking a resemblance to civil rights campaigner Malcom X.
In that case, Kartel’s image assumes a new meaning that gives him iconic status.

Despite the singer being convicted for committing murders and other criminal activities, a single image counters this paints him as a noble element in society that stands and fights for good causes.

As is the case with Vybz Kartel’s image, caricature is subjective.
It is not aimed at providing objective views about the subject.

But what it succeeds to do so well is to present a one-sided story that says a lot and in a humorous fashion about whoever is depicted.
Caricature concentrates on one particular aspect and information presented has the ability to show some interesting or even disturbing traits that are difficult to uncover without the threat of legal action.

It takes a lot of skill to be a caricaturist.
The two primary objectives of the art are to provide a likeness and secondly, to add comic effect through distortion and exaggeration.
The artist has to combine skills from life drawing and cartooning.

Everyone is different.
The facial features that are important in caricature vary in shape and size from one person to the other.
The caricaturist’s skills include identifying the most pronounced facial features and finding a way to exaggerate while retaining the personality’s identity.

Caricature may look unflattering and sometimes downright insulting, but there is no denying that the art offers an alternative view to the conventional, and does so with well crafted comic validity.