Astonishing images have been released by a number of high-profile artists in light of the recent bombing attacks in Brussels, Belgium.
Within hours, a number of sensitive and supportive visuals have gone viral. Among them, the infamous Belgian bronze statue, named the ‘Manneken Pis‘ has been illustrated as an icon of compassion and a rejection of terrorism.
French illustrator Nawak’s illustration reads “Here! A present from Belgium! All my support to my Belgian friends. France is with you!”
Let’s take a quick look at three artists whose cartoons have gone viral following the Brussels attack, and explore how they have used their skills in the past to present ideas through illustration.
1. Hervé Baudry:
A Paris resident, Hervé’s latest cartoon featuring the ‘Manneken Pis’ crying on his Twitter page encapsulates how the people of Brussels and the wider world are feeling following the deaths of 34 people the latest Belgian terrorist attack.
A distraught ‘Manneken Pis’ as illustrated by Baudry.
Other works by the artist have regularly featured political satire. Individuals such as presidential candidate Donald Trump have even been featured.
Just one of Hervé’s political cartoons depicting political satire.
You can take a look at more of his work on Facebook here.
2. Plantu
Jean Plantureux, otherwise known as ‘Plantu’ is arguably one of the most creative and influential French cartoonists of his time. Regularly featuring on the front page of the widely recognised French newspaper ‘Le Monde’, he uses his pens and pencils to shock his audience with emotive images.
His recent illustration has not only captivated French readers, but has become a viral image of discussion in regard to the shared pain that France and Belgium share.
Plantu’s illustration; ‘ATTACKS EC BRUSSELS Tuesday, 22 March.’
(The drawing of the World)
Plantu has previously released cartoons promoting peace. For example, one of the cartoonists most recent illustrations reminds us of the consequences of nuclear energy.
You can follow Plantu on Facebook here.
3. Georges Prosper Remi (Hergé)
A Belgian cartoonist, Hergé is most famous for his work on ‘The Adventures of Tintin’.
Recently, images of the beloved childhood character Tintin were spread on social media after emotions were struck when an illustration of the character crying at the news of the latest terror attack was released.
In the past, ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ has provided an exciting medium for its readers whilst dealing with world issues. Many of the cartoons were written during historical times and include events such as war, invasion and political ideals. In this instance, the illustrator deals with the race towards space exploration.
Photo Credit: WARS