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Aubrey Collette:
Drawing the best out of political caricature
By Wasantha Siriwardena
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Aubrey Collette during Lake House days |
Born in 1920 as the youngest son of renowned photographer Jos
Collette, Aubrey spent his childhood drawing. After completing his
education at Royal College, he was appointed as an art master in the
same school.
Collette joined the '43 Group, which was Sri Lanka's (then Ceylon)
prominent and internationally recognised Modern Art movement at that
time. He exhibited his paintings alongside George Keyt, Justin
Deraniyagala, Lionel Wendt, Geoffrey Beling, Harry Pieris, Richard
Gabriel, L.T.P. Manjusri and George Classen. Collette was a fine painter
like the rest but it was for his incisive satirical cartoons that he
became famous.
Caricature
In 1946, his talent for caricature was recognised by the Times of
Ceylon and he became their chief political cartoonist. He established
himself as Ceylon's leading political cartoonist in no time. His
political cartoon was something that the readers look forward to.
 Frank
Moraes, Editor-in-Chief of The Times of Ceylon commented that Collette's
cartoons "constitute, by universal acclaim, this paper's most popular
feature." He was writing a foreword to the Ceylon since Soulbury
collection of Collette's cartoons, which appeared in The Times.
 Referring
to Collette, who by then had drawn cartoons for The Times for over two
years, he wrote: "Collette's pointed darts are rarely barbed with
malice, and if politicians sometimes squirm they more often share the
public's delight in seeing themselves so titillating pilloried." He
identified the one time Royal College art teacher as "a spry
cartoonist."Collette was the creator of the harassed, harried, hapless
'Citizen Per-r-ra', victim of politics, politicians and even an often
unfriendly Providence; Citizen Per-r-ra lives on to this day in
political cartoons and pocket cartoons.
"Political cartoonists need more than the usual modicum of competent
draftsmanship and the gift of seeing politicians as their world, large
or little, sees them, is not given to every caricaturist. It has been
said that a good cartoonist can kill a political reputation with a drop
of ink," he wrote.
Book
Collette met his wife Joan Gratiaen, a journalist, of the Times of
Ceylon and got married in 1947. His first book of cartoons Ceylon since
Soulbury was published in 1948, and later the couple moved to Lake House
where the celebrated Tarzie Vittachi was editor of The Observer. Their
witty collaboration documented the political trajectory of the country
from a British colony to an independent nation, in The Observer and the
Daily News. For over a decade and a half he amused the Sri Lankan
English readership with his brilliant wit.
  "His
cartoons are a sharp, visual comment on the social and political
landscape of the time. Specific issues of the moment, the political
developments after Sri Lanka's independence and the far-reaching social
and cultural changes or 'perali' in the 1950s found expression in the
incisive, biting humour of his brilliant line-work. In everything the
essential human aspect dominates", as Vittachi, his editor once wrote,
"political parties may come and go, but human nature goes on forever".
There were few political figures who escaped Collette's pen and Prime
Ministers, political leaders and ordinary people all valued his wit and
humour, scathing attacks though they may have been.
Idea
Prime Minister Sir John Kotelawela loved Collette's cartoons and
demanded that he be sent the original drawings of some of the cartoons
that featured him, for his personal collection.
But after a change in government in 1960 and due to the volatile
political scene he became persona non grata and was forced to take a
decision on leaving the country with his family.
 Collette
moved into England in 1961, before settling permanently in Australia.
His masterclass accuracy of line and humor work was happily received in
Australia. His cartoons were first used in The Bulletin. Later, he
joined The Australian as its editorial cartoonist in 1965.
There, he used to arrive in the office early and be gone by 11 a.m.,
saying if he hadn't had a good idea by then he was not going to. He won
the Walkley Award for the Best Cartoon in 1970. He moved to The Herald
in Melbourne in 1971.
Collette never lost touch with Asia, and contributed regularly to the
Asia Magazine, followed by 'The Straits Times' in Singapore in 1984. His
strip cartoon Sun Tan ran for many years. His work has also appeared in
The New York Times and the Saturday Evening Post.
He returned to Melbourne after a few years and died in 1992 aged 71.
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