Concept and Motivation
After observing the dynamics of internet usage and social networking, I concluded that—besides various forms of addiction (from internet porn to compulsive news-reading, voyeurism, or gossip)—the one type of content that seems to have minimal side effects is humour.
Among all formats, cartoons stand out as one of the simplest and most inoffensive ways to portray life. That’s why I chose to create them myself: to explore humour on multiple levels—from subtle details, to line work, to body types and social situations.
The Style: Neutrality and Paradox
I deliberately adopted a neutral and empathetic tone toward the characters I illustrated—even though that very attitude becomes part of the cartoonish irony. There’s a contradiction between the author’s seemingly fatherly understanding and the reality that all these absurd or grotesque situations inevitably affect him as well.
But how could they affect him—when he’s the one drawing them?
That’s where the paradox lies: the author both illustrates and distances himself from what he exposes. It’s a layered message—a subtle reminder that the darkest dangers sometimes hide in the most trivial, even humorous, situations. A warning aimed not only at the general audience but also at so-called “mature” decision-makers who may unknowingly (or knowingly) enable these absurdities.
Caricature as Information Filter
This project became a challenge to the networked information system itself: real-life dynamics, filtered through caricature, became a form of commentary—and perhaps even a kind of art.
At the same time, I wanted to critique certain rigid ideas about “Art”. In the grey zones, in the margins often overlooked by traditional institutions, there is room to grow, experiment, and refine skills. Cartoons are usually dismissed as mere entertainment, but I aimed to draw them with such attention to detail, both artistic and observational, that the very category of “cartoon” would be destabilized.
Political Correctness, Control, and Absurdity
The overall mild and neutral tone was intentional—meant to keep the work within the bounds of political correctness. Every small detail had to be treated with caution. This, in itself, became another cartoonish element: a commentary on the level of control that modern society tries to impose or negotiate when it comes to creative expression.
The more “controlled” the cartoons appeared, the more hilarious (and sometimes disturbing) their effect became.
Challenging Perception
I also experimented with non-funny cartoons—works that looked like cartoons but didn’t portray traditionally humorous situations. The goal was to challenge public perception: if it looks like a cartoon, must it be funny?
The answer is: not necessarily. Sometimes, the mere sight of people interacting, moving, or existing is grotesque—or unintentionally comedic.
The Artist’s Persona: Another Layer of Irony
Finally, I consciously manipulated my line style to suggest a light-hearted, generous, dynamic personality—while in fact I was pushing against clichés like the romanticized “public artist persona” versus the reality of a bitter, solitary creator behind the scenes.
That added one last layer of humour—an inside joke for those who look closely enough.
Conclusion
In the end, much of this project remains open to interpretation. There are hidden gestures, subtle contradictions, and embedded commentaries for those who care to look.
Some of it, as always, is left for the aficionados to discover.
( written in 2014, on/from file “line drawings.txt” and then rewritten with ChatGpt )
You can see samples of these works on my Behance profile :
PAUL SELING 
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