Caricatures take a person, often a celebrity, and draw them in a way that highlights some of that person’s most recognizable traits and features. These turn out to be very humorous portrayals of the person and can often make a person laugh. The same is true when these portraits are made about celebrities. They are humorous and they can feature some of that celebrity’s biggest traits. Just because this is not a realistic, moving depiction of the person, that doesn’t mean that this is any less art than the other.

Most celebrities have a great sense of humor about any caricatures done about them. They know that they have very exaggerated traits sometimes and this is what makes them powerful as those actors, politicians, or athletes. They have a trait which makes them incredibly recognizable to the public at a single glance. They are usually only happy to enjoy these caricatures as long as these portraits do not get too personal or insulting. Many times, the celebrity will even autograph these caricatures, turning them into a great example of autographed art.

A caricature can often be found adorning the walls of popular restaurants. Often, these restaurants will decorate their space with personal touches of pop culture. When these restaurants are famous restaurants, celebrities will often come in to eat there. This can be a fun event for the restaurant because they can often impress the celebrity with their food and make a fan of their service for life. In return, they usually want to commemorate the fact that the celebrity has eaten at their establishment, so in the spirit of fun, they will have someone who is talented at drawing make a caricature of that celebrity. Often, that celebrity will sign the photo and it will be hung on the wall of the establishment for everyone to enjoy.

A caricature is a portrait of a person that exaggerates certain features in order to express the essence of the person and still make the subject easily identifiable. Although it is often viewed as a comic type of art today, it has a rather long history. The earliest forms date back to ancient days. In the excavations at the Roman city of Pompeii, crude pictures were found drawn on the walls of some buildings that very much resembled caricature. At least, the purpose was obviously the same. The word comes from an Italian verb that means “to load.” The true purpose of caricature was conceived as “loading” the portrait with as much meaning as possible.

In the 17th century, Caricature emerged as a distinct art form with the works of an Italian artist named Annibale Caracci. Caracci’s concept was called the “antithesis of beauty.” Rather than following the normal trend of the time which was to imbue subjects with as much beauty as possible, the caricature drawing was intended to produce a portrait that was loaded with meaning. Another early Master was Gianlorenzo Bernini who was said to be able to produce a remarkable and loaded portrait of a person with a mere three or four strokes. This early form of caricatures was the province of the rich who had them produced for amusement.

The art form passed to England in the middle of the 18th century and at first it was also an amusement of the upper class. In the 19th Century with the advent of mass printing and the rise of Newspapers, caricature took on a new and darker purpose. It was the time of the political cartoon, and the caricature became a method of mockery and derision aimed at leaders. In the United States in the years after World War I, caricature enjoyed its Golden Age. Although the political cartoon remained popular, the art form also became colorful, fun, and complimentary. It was not just the negatives that were sought as an essence during this period, and celebrity caricatures became more popular and in demand in magazines than even actual photographs.