Scarfe cartoon of the Pope – A vision of Hell

A vision of Hell by the British caricaturist Gerald Scarfe: Schoolboy innocence defiled, nay crucified, and Pope Benedict hiding the perpetrators under his robes. It may not be subtle, but it would be difficult to miss the point.

Like Michaelangelo and Da Vinci, Bach and Handel; History regularly seems to offer up geniuses in pairs. Perhaps this is so with minor geniuses as well. In this case, I’ve long thought Gerald Scarfe’s work bears striking resemblance to the art of his approximate contemporary, Ralph Steadman. Steadman’s muse was that mad bastard Hunter S. Thompson, while Gerard Scarfe of course illustrated and animated Pink Floyd’s The Wall.

Both of them belong to a fine tradition of British political and social caricaturists; one that stretches at least as far back as the 18th century, William Hogarth, and works such as The Rake’s Progress.

My reigning favourite among British political cartoonists however, is The Guardian’s Steve Bell. Not because I necessarily share his views, but because after seeing his depiction of British conservative party leader David Cameron as a jellyfish, I simply cannot see the man speak, and not be reminded of Bell’s cartooning. Powerfully persuasive in its way: How could anyone vote for a jellyfish?

In a different way, Scarfe’s cartoon is also strong stuff. In light of revelations which suggest that earlier in his career Pope Benedict was involved in covering up sex scandals, perhaps the best thing that can be said about the Papacy is that, well, satirise the leader of the Catholic church as much as you like – It’s unlikely you’ll face death threats for your troubles. I er, draw no comparisons.