“Relationships can be risky or rewarding, but they are rarely straight forward”
This quote suggests that relationships are ‘risky or rewarding’ but ‘rarely straight forward’ which is evident in the three Michael Leunig cartoons, ‘Mr. Curly comes home’, bridge over water and woman filter. ‘Mr. Curly comes home’ inevitably suggests that relationships can rewarding through the feel of belonging it illustrates using motifs and contrast whereas the bridge over water cartoon suggests that relationships can be risky by showing unfaithfulness in two couples. The third cartoon featuring a man filtering a woman until he is left with a heart, a star, a flower and a small bird suggests that relationships are rarely straight forward. Although the cartoons are ambiguous as they are purely visual, these three cartoons can be effectively associated to the three parts of the quote.
Leunig’s cartoon ‘Mr. Curly comes home’ depicts a father happily returning home to his delighted family consisting of wife, daughter and pets showing a family relationship full of love and care. The emotions are revealed in the character’s facial expressions as well as their body language in which they are all looking towards the returning father and with this, the cartoon proves the part of the quote that refers to relationships as sometimes being ‘rewarding’. Following on from this, the father’s sense of belonging is highlighted using the recurring motif of ‘curly’ apparent on the house and rich vegetation surrounding the house as well as all the members of Mr. Curly’s family. This recompensing aspect of relationships is further accentuated using the contrast of light and dark where the edges of the cartoon are darkened representing the outside of this family relationship whereas the middle of the cartoon is bright and lively. Contrast is again used in a way where the environment surrounding the house is barren but the house is enclosed by fertile vegetation and this represents the ‘rewarding’...