As a caricaturist, Klaus Stuttmann is a tireless observer and commentator on current affairs. As in previous years, the draftsman has compiled his best drawings in a yearbook and looks back on the past twelve months.
They were mainly characterized by one topic: Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine – and the problems associated with it. Here we present a selection of twelve of the 200 caricatures in the volume published by Schaltzeit Verlag. And almost all of them have to do with the war of aggression: the energy turnaround, the extension of nuclear power plant operating times, the transformation of the Greens into an armament party and Robert Habeck’s efforts to teach the Germans to save energy.
Klaus Stuttmann reviews the year
In view of the overwhelming power of the war, the effects of which seep into almost all areas of life, one almost forgets that there were other issues and problems in the past year. The corona pandemic is still not over, the climate catastrophe is progressing without mercy and the dependence of the German economy on the Chinese state could bring us the next crisis.
Overall, there was little that was uplifting or exhilarating in the past twelve months. And yet, as a reader, you catch yourself grinning again and again when you leaf through Klaus Stuttmann’s yearbook. For example, when he portrays the war criminal Putin as a shirtless tiger who sets the world on fire out of sheer need for recognition. And when cartoonist Robert Habeck draws in the shower, it becomes clear that the powerful minister suffers from the jet of cold water just like any other citizen.
In this way, Stuttmann brings the political players into our living room and makes them a little more approachable. When you’ve flipped through the 200 pages, the world hasn’t gotten any better – but maybe a little bit more bearable. And that is not a small achievement.
“Klaus Stuttmann: Caricatures 2022” contains 228 pages, was published by Schaltzeit Verlag and costs 25 euros. More on the publisher’s website