Herluf Bidstrup

Herluf Bidstrup (actually Hans Christian Herluf Bidstrup ), ( born September 10, 1912 in Berlin, † December 26, 1988 in Allerød (north of Copenhagen) ) was a German - Danish cartoonist.

Life

His father was a living in Germany Dane, the decorative painter Hermod Bidstrup. His mother was Emma Bertha Augusta Bidstrup, nee Schmidt, a German.

1917 moved Herluf Bidstrup with his parents to Denmark. After studying art in Denmark and Berlin, he began to paint. From 1936 he worked for the Danish government newspaper " social democrats", but also for other leaves.

Since 1945 he worked for the newspaper of the Danish Communist Party "Land og Folk". With political cartoons from then on he tried to spread Communist ideas.

With a sharp pen Bidstrup drew cartoons in which he took everyday situations, smugness and human weaknesses targeted. His drawings are characterized by a mix of satire, humor and clarity. In most cases, his drawings are completely free text, which facilitates understanding across language boundaries. It is characterized as hundreds of comic strips, which he brought to a DIN A4 page.

In the GDR, his cartoons appeared in magazines NBI ( Neue Berliner Illustrated ) and weekly post. The Soviet government newspaper Pravda made ​​use of many of his political cartoons. But even some of his non-political cartoons found in the Soviet Union spread.

The Eulenspiegel Verlag ( DDR -Verlag) since the 1950s Bidstrups published works, including 1974, a 500 page book, " The thick Bidstrup - book". It contains most of his comic strips, but also his typical critique of capitalism cartoons.

Herluf Bidstrup was drawn again and again to Germany (later the German Democratic Republic ). Study tours have taken him to the Soviet Union and China.

1964 was awarded to him in Moscow, the International Lenin Peace Prize. Germany and the GDR later he remained all his life closely connected.

Bidstrup was friends with the writer Martin Andersen Nexø, whom he visited in his adopted home town of Dresden.

Criticism

Bidstrup was under the influence of the labor movement and was turned to communism. In his political cartoons that originated in the period that followed until his death, he asks the Soviet Union is a land of justice, human dignity and the peace campaign, whose goal is to create a just and humane society and establish world peace. At the same time, he held strong criticism of the capitalist system, especially to the United States.

Bidstrup was accused of blind and completely uncritically the Soviet Union and communism represented by her adored. With this questionable and completely unrealistic deification of the political system in the former Soviet Union he had set itself to the sidelines.

Just as Martin Andersen Nexø met him in Denmark often ridicule and contempt. However, he was able to achieve recognition for his non-political cartoons again and again. On the other hand, published newspapers and magazines of the Eastern Bloc 's political drawings. In countries of the communist system of government, including China, reached him regularly honors, for example, in Moscow 1964 " International Lenin Peace Prize ." The interest in his work is greatly dwindled according to the social development in the world as of 1989. A planned for the end of 1989 exhibition of his work in Dresden came because of political changes not materialize in the GDR. An attempt to exhibit his works in New York City in 2004, already failed in the initial phase.

Dissemination of his caricatures and illustrations today

Bidstrup has fallen outside the former Soviet Union into oblivion. Also in Denmark, his name is almost unknown. This may be his devotion to communism and the Soviet Union (both from 1945 until his death ) be attributable (see review).

In Denmark, the " Workers 'Museum ' in Copenhagen uses his political cartoons.

In Germany, his works, that is, the books of his cartoons and illustrations, and are not currently operate out of trading.

Fan sites on the Internet that show his cartoons can be found today, especially in Russia.

Works (selection)

  • Illustrations to "three little girls ", children's book publishing house Berlin 1953
  • Reports with the pen, Publishing House of Art Dresden, 1954 ( translation Ellen Schou )
  • Shrewd, crafty, Eulenspiegel Verlag Berlin 1955
  • China Travel, Publishing House of Fine Arts Dresden 1956 ( translation Ellen Schou )
  • Ideas and flops, Eulenspiegel Verlag Berlin 1957
  • In the Soviet Union, publishing press agency Novosti, 1968
  • The thick Bidstrup book, Eulenspiegel Verlag Berlin 1974
  • What a laugh and Angel Night, Eulenspiegel Verlag Berlin 1955
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