Barry Blitt of The New Yorker is the 2020 Pulitzer Prize winner for Editorial Cartooning.
Editorial Cartooning
For work that skewers the personalities and policies emanating from the Trump White House with deceptively sweet watercolor style and seemingly gentle caricatures. (Moved into contention by the Board.)
Finalists included:
Lalo Alcaraz – Freelancer
Matt Bors – The Nib
Kevin Kallaugher – Freelancer
Lalo Alcaraz, freelancer
Matt Bors of The Nib
24 hours later and nobody’s commented on the winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize?
Allow me, I’m not familiar w/ Barry’s background but I’m pretty sure he’s not from a traditional newspaper and who cares? The guy’s been straddling the illustration/cartoon/editorial world at least since the mid 90’s when I first took notice and I first got into ed. cartooning full time. Looking at his work you almost think “this was created on somebody’s kitchen table”. It’s that primitive and appeals to my own primitive approach. Anybody can buy adobe illustrator. Not everybody can perform on a black sheet of paper and some ink. Barry’s a throwback and the further back the better.
There’s no technique in his technique it’s just what you see: pen, ink, wash. But w/ a “hook” that would land Moby Dick. If you want to get picky it’s editorial illustration but who cares? It’s a refreshing take on our profession and about time an artist won this award.
(full disclosure: I don’t know and have never spoken to Barry Blitt.)
Almost forgot to congratulate my friend KAL, BORS and ALCARAZ. (I do happen to know KALand BORS.)
I will note, without judging, that the only two New Yorker finalists (Editorial Cartooning and Feature Writing) were not originally picked by the judges but were “Moved into contention by the Board.” Then those two Board nominated finalists won their respective categories.
WOW- four finalists and not one staffer…I believe this may be a first ever.
…what’s a “staffer?”
A salaried newspaper editorial cartoonist.
My list has less than three dozen currently in the U.S.