Using today’s Midjourney prompt we are going to create some jaw-dropping grotesque caricatures
About Caricatures in Art
Caricature as an art form has a long and fascinating history. The origins of this art style can be traced back to the 16th century, with artists like Leonardo Da Vinci creating caricatures in their sketchbooks. Da Vinci's series of "grotesque heads" from the 1490s sought to exaggerate and poke fun at his subjects, making them appear as extreme versions of themselves.
The term caricature itself comes from the Italian words "carico" and "caricare", meaning "to load" or "to exaggerate". The goal of a caricature is to capture a likeness of someone through a method that is not purely representational, and usually with a touch of humor, with the artist emphasizing specific features that make the person unique.
Italian brothers Annibale and Agostino Carracci were some of the first artists to deviate from the representational ideal and began drawing exaggerated portraits for fun in the 1590s. Initially, caricature remained mostly an Italian art form but by the 1800s, it started to catch on in other parts of Europe.
In the 19th century, caricatures became a powerful tool for social and political commentary. In France, Charles Philipon, owner of the magazine La Caricature, often depicted King Louis-Philippe with a pear-shaped face, a symbol that became a universal symbol for the king’s regime. This led to a French law being passed concerning the freedom of press and a ban of political caricature.
In the U.S., Thomas Nast used his caricatures to bring down corrupt political figures during the mid-to-late 1800s. His art influenced the image of Santa Claus we know today. The widespread distribution of newspapers and magazines during the Industrial Revolution exposed more people to caricatures. After the First World War, caricatures began rivaling photographs in newspapers across the U.S., leading to a new era of 20th-century caricature artists who used their art as visual commentaries on society and politics.
It's also important to note that the impulse to exaggerate and caricature seems to be a deeply rooted part of human nature, even present in societies that existed before the development of literature and art. Before people cultivated literature or art, they would amuse themselves by mocking their enemies and opponents, giving them nicknames, and telling stories designed to cause laughter. This practice of ridiculing others can be seen as an early form of caricature. As these societies started to erect buildings and decorate them, they often chose subjects that presented ludicrous ideas, thus embedding the grotesque and caricature into their art. and create beautiful images through the assembly of interlocking pieces.
Example Images
Here is what we are going to create….
Midjourney Prompt
So here is the prompt I used:
Base Prompt
a painting of [SUBJECT], in the style of detailed science fiction illustrations, strong facial expression, [COLOR PALETTE], smokey background, realistic hyper-detailed portraits, grotesque caricatures, goblincore, necronomicon, comic art, detailed character design
So for the examples above I used:
a painting of a woman eating an apple, in the style of detailed science fiction illustrations, strong facial expression, light azure and sky-blue, smokey background, realistic hyper-detailed portraits, grotesque caricatures, goblincore, necronomicon, comic art, detailed character design
a painting of a movie star at the oscars, in the style of detailed science fiction illustrations, strong facial expression, light azure and sky-blue, smokey background, realistic hyper-detailed portraits, grotesque caricatures, goblincore, necronomicon, comic art, detailed character design
a painting of a man in a suit, in the style of detailed science fiction illustrations, strong facial expression, light azure and sky-blue, smokey background, realistic hyper-detailed portraits, grotesque caricatures, goblincore, necronomicon, comic art, detailed character design
a painting of a kitten, in the style of detailed science fiction illustrations, strong facial expression, light azure and sky-blue, smokey background, realistic hyper-detailed portraits, grotesque caricatures, goblincore, necronomicon, comic art, detailed character design
a painting of a crowd of school kids, in the style of detailed science fiction illustrations, strong facial expression, light azure and sky-blue, smokey background, realistic hyper-detailed portraits, grotesque caricatures, goblincore, necronomicon, comic art, detailed character design
a painting of a dog, in the style of detailed science fiction illustrations, strong facial expression, light azure and sky-blue, smokey background, realistic hyper-detailed portraits, grotesque caricatures, goblincore, necronomicon, comic art, detailed character design
What Next?
As always, tweak the prompt to make it your own and try a little tweak or two.
a painting of two old people partying, in the style of detailed science fiction illustrations, strong facial expression, light azure and sky-blue, smokey background, realistic hyper-detailed portraits, grotesque caricatures, goblincore, necronomicon, comic art, detailed character design
a painting of two shocked old people, in the style of detailed science fiction illustrations, strong facial expression, light azure and sky-blue, smokey background, realistic hyper-detailed portraits, grotesque caricatures, goblincore, necronomicon, comic art, detailed character design