RED MAN: Where were you born?
MARLENE POHLE: I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
RED MAN: What was your childhood like? Are there any events related to art?
MARLENE POHLE: I liked reading and drawing. My father was a good drawer, and together we invented characters.
At school I started scribbling on my teachers and my classmates.
RED MAN: When did you start drawing?
MARLENE POHLE: Probably at 3 or 4 years. I never stopped.
RED MAN: Have you ever studied at an art school?
MARLENE POHLE: I had sporadic drawing and painting teachers, but in cartoon and caricature I consider myself self-taught.
RED MAN: Did you start creating cartoon at that time?
MARLENE POHLE: Above all, I liked creating caricatures.
RED MAN: We would like to know when you decided to become an artist? Is your family full of artistic atmosphere?
MARLENE POHLE: I always wanted to be one, but due to various circumstances, I only dedicated myself professionally to being a cartoonist after I was 30.
RED MAN: What do your family and friends think of your choice to "make a living through art"? To what extent do they support you?
MARLENE POHLE: My parents didn′t believe one could make a living from art. Fortunately, it was different with my own children, when I had a good publishing opportunity in Germany, many years later. That was the beginning of my professional career as a cartoonist.
RED MAN: What is your family background?
MARLENE POHLE: My parents emigrated from France and Germany just before World War II. I spent my childhood and youth in Argentina, in a well, middle-class atmosphere.
RED MAN: When did you start creating international cartoon works and participating in international cartoon competitions? Did any special issues or events ignite your inspiration and start a new creative path?
MARLENE POHLE: I started publishing cartoons in a humor magazine in Córdoba, Argentina ("HORTENSIA"), and then I began participating in international humor competitions, like Knokke-Heist, Belgium, for example. This excited me greatly.
RED MAN: We understand that your work looks free and unrestrained, with elegant and graceful lines. The colors have the transparency of watercolor painting and the artistic conception of Chinese freehand painting, like a fairyland. Has a very strong personal style and is very distinctive. How did you develop your own style? Has it been influenced by the Argentine art style?
MARLENE POHLE: I′m very flattered that you find in my watercolors something of the artistic conception of Chinese paintings: I greatly admir Oriental art.
Before dedicating myself to cartooning, I worked extensively with watercolors, which still fascinate me today. That′s why I continue to use inks and watercolors in my cartoons.
In terms of cartoon/caricature style and concept, I greatly admire Sempé, but also Loriot, Hugo Pratt, Nine, Sábat...
RED MAN: What is on your mind when you are painting?
MARLENE POHLE: I′m focused on my work.
RED MAN: There is no text in your work. Do you oppose the use of text? Do you think there is always a way to convey information or ideas purely from images?
MARLENE POHLE: In press cartoons I usually incorporate text. But for international cartoons or competitions, the graphics must be eloquent, whitout text. Words aren′t necessary in caricatures, and I like to play with people′s thoughts, which are sometimes very different from my own ideas.
RED MAN: What artists or works have influenced you in the process of forming your unique style? You can give an example, for example, show the two or three works that you think have had the greatest impact on you to everyone.
MARLENE POHLE: All the works of Sempé, but also from Egon Schiele, Boris Sajtinac, Hugo Pratt...And I′m a William Turner fan, too.
RED MAN: When did Argentina cartoon originate? What are the representative cartoonists? You can tell us about them.
MARLENE POHLE: Argentine cartooning began in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The first important magazine was "CARAS Y CARETAS",which featured the great early Argentine cartoonists, such as Cao, Hermenegildo Sábat, Molina Campos, Oski, Landrú, Lino Palacio, Dante Quinterno, and many others. Another successful magazine was El Mosquito.
During the 20th century, countless great cartoonists emerged in Argentina, who were also known internationally, such as Quino, Mordillo, Alberto Breccia, Caloi, Cognini, Hermenegildo Sábat Jr, Horacio Cardo, Roberto Fontanarrosa, Osvaldo Laino, and so on.
We currently have several talented cartoonists who publish and actively participate, such as Sergio Langer, Sergio Más, Becs, Claudio Kappel, Crist, Sendra, Patricia Breccia, Gabriel Ippoliti, etc.
RED MAN: When did Germany cartoon originate? What are the representative cartoonists? You can tell us about them.
MARLENE POHLE: In my opinion, "SIMPLIZISSIMUS" is the most important cartoon magazine in the German-speaking world. Many German cartoonists have drawn inspiration from the works of George Grosz, T.T. Heine, Max Beckmann, Olaf Gulbransson, and others.
Today, there are still many excellent cartoonists and caricaturists, such as Sebastian Krüger, Frank Hoppmann, Gerhard Glück, Uschi Heusel, Miriam Wurster, Katharina Greve, Zoran Petrovic, Sobe, Peter Ruge, Sabine Voigt, Marunde and others.
RED MAN: Where do you think the world's cartoon originated from? When is the origin time?
MARLENE POHLE: There′s been much research on this subject. One of the best-known stories is that of Honoré Daumier, a great 19th-century French artist, who created a caricature of King Louis-Phillippe, depicting him as Gargantua, a ridiculous character from Rabelais.
Daumier was imprisoned for this.
RED MAN: We know that the FECO is the largest international organization of cartoonists in the world. What is the significance of this international cartoon organization for the world cartoon industry? Or, what is the importance of this organization in promoting the development of world cartoon? How will the FECO continue to develop in the future?
MARLENE POHLE: FECO is a highly respected institution because it analyses and rates competitions, defends the rights of cartoonists and contributes to the union and friendship between artists.
You can find more on FECO′s website: www.fecocartoon.comunder ?The history of FECO“
RED MAN: You often serve as a judge for international cartoon competitions. Which region have you served as the judge for the most competitions? How do you select works? What are your standards? Please tell us the most interesting story from your experience as a judge.
MARLENE POHLE: I was often a member of the jury in the Netherlands, but also in France, in Portugal, in Turkey, in Mexico, Brasil and in Argentina.
In 2013, I was invited to be a jury member in Guyang, China, which was a very interesting experience. Also because both my American colleague Daryl Cagle and I didn′t understand the cartoon that was selected. But the majority of the jury was Chinese, and they told us they did understand it, and that′s why it won. I loved getting to know China, even if it was only a small part of it. We were very well received and we also visited universities and temples, it was a very friendly and nice experience.
RED MAN: We know that you are once the President of the FECO. When did you assume this important position? What work did you do after taking on this position? We know that the work of the FECO is diverse and often involves dealing with cartoonists from around the world, which reduces your creative time. How do you coordinate the relationship between work and creation?
MARLENE POHLE: I was elected FECO′s President General in 2005, a position I held until 2009, and since then I have been its Vice President General.
Both in my first position as president of FECO Germany, then as PG and now as Vice President, I try to make the best of my time and my dedication.
RED MAN: When did Argentina cartoon originate?
MARLENE POHLE: There are many good cartoonists in Argentina right now, but not all of them publish in newspapers, and almost all of them have an additional work.
I see many colleagues (especially young ones) who are more dedicated to comics than to cartoons.
RED MAN: Are there many cartoon publications, magazines, and newspapers in Argentina? How did they reach the hands of the readers?
MARLENE POHLE: There are good newspapers in Argentina, but people have gotten into the habit of reading the news and watching cartoons on their phones.
RED MAN: What is people's definition of cartoon? Do people like cartoon? Especially do schools and parents allow children to read cartoon?
MARLENE POHLE: Argentines love graphic humor. We live in a democracy, and of course, the habit of cartooning is encouraged through courses and exhibitions.
RED MAN: Are there many derivative products of cartoon in Argentina, and do cartoon images often appear on products? Do people like these products?
MARLENE POHLE: Yes, the quality is not always good. Advertising uses a lot of medium-quality digital media.
RED MAN: In Argentina, whether it is primary school, secondary school, or university, are there any specialized courses in cartoon? What are the ways people learn cartoon?
MARLENE POHLE: As far as I know, only in fine arts courses or speciafically cartoon or graphic design studies.
RED MAN: Is there a cartoon museum in Argentina? If so, please introduce the Cartoon Museum to your readers.
There are some smaller museums, but the National Library of Buenos Aires has a large selection of works and often organizes events.
MARLENE POHLE: Centro de Historieta y Humor Gráfico Argentinos,
Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno, Buenos Aires.
https://www.bn.gov.ar
historietas@bn.gob.ar
Instagram: CHHA(@archivo.de.historieta.bn)
RED MAN: As the President of the FECO, you must have visited many cartoon museums around the world. Could you please introduce the unique features of those cartoon museums? Which cartoon museum attracts you the most? What are its characteristics? In your mind, what do you think the best cartoon museum should look like?
MARLENE POHLE: This is very difficult to answer because many are museums with temporary exhibitions, and they range from a good collection of works to modest ones. The Salon de la Caricature de St Just-le-Martel, in France, has a good collection of international works.
For the Spanish-speaking world, the graphic humor museum from San Antonio de los Ba?os, in Cuba, is very important.
RED MAN: What cultural heritage is there in Argentina? Do government departments and people attach great importance to these cultural heritages? What is people's understanding of these cultural heritages? What impact does cultural heritage have on you?
MARLENE POHLE: Unfortunately, it′s not given as much importance as it is in other places of the world.
However, people like caricatures and cartoons very much. Argentinians are usually very creative and therefore there are always new artists who create with enthusiasm. And last but not least, there are important foundations that sponsor art in general.
RED MAN: What have people done to protect these cultural heritages? (Specific measures and promotion methods.) What role has cartoons played in cultural heritage protection? What role do you think cartoons can play in the protection of cultural heritage in the future?
MARLENE POHLE: In Latin American countries there is a lot of poverty, people have other priorities, and cultural heritage is often in private hands. However, many people are concerned about maintaining and strenghtening cultural heritage for a better future.
RED MAN: This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the world anti fascist movement. What is the understanding of Argentina youth towards the 80th anniversary of the victory of the world anti fascist movement? What educational measures does Argentina have in this regard? Have Argentina cartoonists produced any anti Fascist cartoon works over the past 80 years?
MARLENE POHLE: It′s too far, I have no news about any celebrations forthe 80th anniversary of the anti-fascist victory. They are likely to take place.
I also have no information about whether Argentine cartoonists address the topic, they generally produce works on local politics.
RED MAN: Are there any commemorative facilities in Argentina for the victory of the anti fascist movement? What are the regular commemorative activities?
MARLENE POHLE: Commemorative events are generally linked to national history.
RED MAN: If you weren't an artist, what would you do?
MARLENE POHLE: An artist.
RED MAN: What do you want to say to people who like your work?
MARLENE POHLE: Simple thank you!
RED MAN: What advice do you have for young cartoon artists who respect you and take you as an example? What would you say to your respected colleagues? What would you say to readers who like your work? What would you say to readers who don't understand humor? Besides, what advice do you give yourself? What advice do you give me?
MARLENE POHLE: I make it short: I am very grateful for your interest, and happy because I know that you are going to have fun in the world of cartoons.
By the way, I know few people who have no sense of humor at all. Maybe politicians.
RED MAN: Without a doubt, you have succeeded. I know you are happy with what you have done.
Lastly, thank you for your trust and support in our interview!
