Antonio Ortiz Fuster, more commonly known as his

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

, Ortifus, is a political

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...

, born in

Valencia, Spain Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area also ...

in 1948. Widely considered to be one of the best cartoonists and illustrators to come out of the Valencia Community, he started his professional life as a musician, jewellery maker, and

textile designer Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

. His music gained notability during the 1970s, when he was

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

for the bands ''Control'' and ''Orquesta Valencia'', with whom he recorded three and two albums respectively. However, he is more widely known as a cartoonist and

humourist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business ...

, a career that he got into in the 1980s, when his cartoons began to be published in a number of regional newspapers, including ''Diario de Valencia'', ''Noticias al Día'', ''Hoja del Lunes'' and in magazines such as ''Qué y Donde'' and the national satirical magazine,

El Jueves (Spanish for "''Thursday''") is a Spanish weekly satirical magazine based in Barcelona. Throughout most of its life, ''El Juevess masthead has featured the tagline "" ("''the magazine that comes out on Wednesdays''"). Its mascot is a nameless ...

. In 1984, he would find a permanent job as cartoonist for ''Levante - El Mercantil Valenciano''; his cartoons would become, as time went by, one of the identifying features of the L-EMV. On top of this, he has assiduously drawn for ''Cartelera Turia'' and draws a weekly sketch for the national magazine, ''Magazine,'' for whom he created his famous character, the wizard Mago Asín. His work has gone beyond that of a newspaper cartoonist. He has collaborated with the

University of Valencia The University of Valencia ( ca-valencia, Universitat de València ; also known as UV) is a public research university located in the city of Valencia, Spain. It is one of the oldest surviving universities in Spain, and the oldest in the Vale ...

, the

Polytechnic University of Valencia The Technical University of Valencia ( ca-valencia, Universitat Politècnica de València, UPV; , es, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia) is a Spanish university located in Valencia, with a focus on science, technology, and arts. It was founded ...

, the

Generalitat Valenciana The Generalitat Valenciana is the generic name covering the different self-government institutions under which the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia is politically organized. It consists of seven institutions including the ''Corts Valen ...

and The Pharmaceutical College of Valencia (on whose publication, Cuadernos de Farmática, he draws from time to time.) He has also been called upon on a number of occasions by the Valencian City Council to design monuments for the festival of

Falles The Falles ( ca-valencia, Falles; es, Fallas) is a traditional celebration held annually in commemoration of Saint Joseph in the city of Valencia, Spain. The five main days celebrated are from 15 to 19 March, while the Mascletà, a pyrotechnic ...

. His drawing style is characterised by simple, straight lines and his comic strips in general are typified by

irony Irony (), in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what on the surface appears to be the case and what is actually the case or to be expected; it is an important rhetorical device and literary technique. Irony can be categorized into ...

word play Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phonet ...

, and a

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

stance on world issues.

Publications

A list of books in which Ortifus has featured: *2003 – De juzgado de guardia *2001 - Los guardias civiles: esos ciudadanos uniformados : 25 años de lucha por la democratización y el asociacionismo en la Guardia Civil (1976–2001) *1994 - Consejos prácticos para ir por la vida con sumo cuidado *1992 - De todo hay en las viñetas del señor *1991 - 129 semanas y media *1991 - Com exercir de funcionari i no apergaminar-se en l'intent *1991 - Estius a la carta *1991 - XIP-xap: cançons infantils *1987 - Invasor, el último *1985 - Humor gràfic en la premsa valenciana, 1981–1985

External links

Official Ortifus webA short biography in Spanish of OrtifusLevante-EMV, the newspaper for which Ortifus draws daily
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortifus 1948 births Spanish cartoonists Spanish satirists Spanish editorial cartoonists People from Valencia Living people