Hermenegildo Sábat
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Hermenegildo Sábat (23 June 1933 – 2 October 2018) was an Argentine-Uruguayan caricaturist.


Life and work


Early career in journalism

Hermenegildo Sábat was born in the oceanfront Pocitos section of
Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
,
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
, in 1933. Named after a grandparent who had been a noted local artist in his day, Hermenegildo was known as "Menchi," from early childhood. Montevideo's leading news daily, ''
El País (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second-most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . is the most read newspaper in ...
'', first published a drawing of his - a portrait of
Uruguay national football team The Uruguay national football team (), nicknamed ''La Celeste'' ("The Sky Blue") and ''Los Charrúas'' ("The Charrúa, Charrúas"), have represented Uruguay in international men's Association football, football since their first international m ...
forward Juan Schiaffino - when the young artist was but 15 years old.Premio Nuevo Periodismo: Biografía básica de Hermenegildo Sábat
/ref> Sábat's first work experience in journalism began in 1955 as a graphist in ''Acción'', returning to ''El País'', in 1957. His career prospered in ''El País'', and Sábat became an editor at the daily, as well as contributing work as a staff correspondent, photographer and illustrator. His byline was featured in other Uruguayan periodicals in subsequent years, such as ''
Marcha Marcha (born Margaretha Hendrika Maria Groeneveld on 2 July 1956), also known as Marga Bult, is a Dutch singer and television presenter, who has been a member of the groups Tulip, Babe and Dutch Divas and is also known for her participation in t ...
'', ''Lunes'' and ''Reporte'', and he freelanced as a graphic designer. He married Blanca Rodríguez, in 1961, and the couple had two children. A dispute with ''El País owners, however, led Sábat to emigrate to neighboring
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, in 1966. Following a stint at Editorial Abril, a
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
publishing house, his caricatures were soon included in ''Primera Plana'' and ''Crísis'' (then the leading Argentine news magazines), as leading dailies such as '' Clarín'', and '' La Opinión'', for which Sábat became the sole illustrator. The closure of ''La Opinión'' by the new dictatorship in 1977 led to Sábat's transfer to ''Clarín'', where he would remain over the years.Footer, Kevin Carrel. ''Codes of mischief and morality''
/ref> Sábat's interest in
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and
tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...
resulted in his writing numerous books on the genres, including: a biography of tango vocalist
Carlos Gardel Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential inter ...
- ''Al troesma con cariño'' (''To the Maestro, with Love,'' 1971); of trumpeter
Bix Beiderbecke Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke ( ; March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, pianist and composer. Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s, a cornet player noted for an inventive lyrical a ...
- ''Yo Bix, Tú Bix, Él Bix'' (1972); and ''Scat: una interpretación gráfica del jazz'' (1974).


Later years

Becoming a naturalized Argentine citizen in 1980, Sábat continued his commission with ''Clarín'' while contributing occasionally to other dailies, such as the '' Buenos Aires Herald''. He became a fixture in ''Clarín'' with his illustrations of political commentator Eduardo van der Kooy's weekly columns. His caricatures made him increasingly well-known, and parodied even authoritarian leaders such as
Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine military officer and Statesman (politician), statesman who served as the History of Argentina (1946-1955), 29th president of Argentina from 1946 to Revolución Libertad ...
and the heads of the
National Reorganization Process The National Reorganization Process ( PRN; often simply , "the Process") was the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as the ("last military junta"), ("last military dictatorship") ...
. He kept working after Argentina's return to democracy, in 1983. President
Raúl Alfonsín Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (; 12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after the 7-yea ...
's ineffective handling of the foreign debt crisis and military demands earned him Sábat's portrayals as a ballet dancer straining to impress stone-faced generals, or, at best, a tightrope walker struggling to retain balance. Political or military figures known to be especially close to the powerful
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
included a small halo, and CGT labor union leader Saúl Ubaldini (Alfonsín's most vocal opponent) paid for his frequent on-camera theatrics with Sábat's portrayal of his tearful breakdowns and use of the
elbow The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...
(a typically Italian insult).''Clarín'' (various issues, 1988 to 1991) His dauntless approach to humor helped earn him the prestigious
Maria Moors Cabot prize The Maria Moors Cabot Prizes are the oldest international awards in the field of journalism. They are presented each fall by the Trustees of Columbia University to journalists in the Western hemisphere who are viewed as having made a significant c ...
, in 1988 (among his numerous other recognitions). Alfonsín's successor,
Carlos Menem Carlos Saúl Menem (2 July 1930 – 14 February 2021) served as the 50th president of Argentina for ten years, from 1989 to 1999. He identified as Peronism, Peronist, serving as President of the Justicialist Party for 13 years (from 1990 to 200 ...
, proved particularly useful as fodder for Argentine humorists. The flamboyant Menem's prominent sideburns and ongoing push to extend constitutional
term limit A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, w ...
s lent itself easily to Sábat's portrayal of him as a man fused to his presidential chair. His caricatures portrayed political figures, as well as artists and other personalities. The death of well-known Argentine cultural icons were infallibly followed by Sábat's homage in the form of an angel (''see Ástor Piazzolla's portrait, above''). He portrayed President
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner (; born 19 February 1953), often referred to by her initials CFK, is an Argentine lawyer and former politician who served as the 56th president of Argentina from 2007 to 2015, and later as the 37th Vice ...
in 2008 in ''Clarín'', with tape over her mouth, during the 2008 agrarian lockout. She considered it a "quasi-mafioso message". He draw her with a punch to the face during the 7D, in reference to a judicial ruling that benefited Clarín in the conflict between Kirchnerism and the media. The legislature of Buenos Aires accused him of
violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence (GBV) or sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), violent, violence primarily committed by Man, men or boys against woman, women or girls. Such violence is often considered hat ...
, and José Pablo Feinmann said that "he should not draw what he thinks". In 2017 he won the Diamond Konex Award, one of the most prestigious awards given in Argentina. He died on October 2, 2018, during his sleep. He was aged 85.


Books

*''Al troesma con cariño'' (1971), about
Carlos Gardel Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential inter ...
*''Yo Bix, Tú Bix, Él Bix'' (1972), about
Bix Beiderbecke Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke ( ; March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, pianist and composer. Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s, a cornet player noted for an inventive lyrical a ...
*''Scat: una interpretación gráfica del jazz'' (1974) *''Una selección de dibujos públicados entre los años 1971 y 1975'' (1975) *''Galería personal'' (1975) *''Dogor'' (1979), about
Aníbal Troilo Aníbal Carmelo Troilo (11 July 1914 – 18 May 1975), also known as Pichuco, was an Argentine tango musician. Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, arranger, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular wit ...
*''Monsieur Lautrec'' (1980), with Julio Cortázar, about
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Count, ''Comte'' Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901), known as Toulouse-Lautrec (), was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist, and illustrator whose immersion in the colour ...
*''Tango Mío'' (1981) *''Sentido pésame'' (1984) *''Una satisfacción tras otra'' (1990) *''Haberlo sabido antes'' (1992) *''Fotos'' (1996) *''Jazz a la carte'' (1996) *''Carta a Torres García'' (1996) *''Crónicas del Ángel Gris'' (1996), illustrations for book by Alejandro Dolina *''Adioses tardíos'' (1998) *''La casa sigue en orden: cuatro décadas de historia en dibujos'' (1999) *''Georgie Dear'' (1999), about
Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo ( ; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator regarded as a key figure in Spanish literature, Spanish-language and international literatur ...
*''Imágenes latentes'' (2001) *''Dos dedos: una interpretación de
Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani people, Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Belgium, Belgian-born Romani jazz guitarist and composer in France. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe ...
'' (2004) *''Siguen las firmas: inventario apócrifo de falsedades, mentiras y algunas certidumbres'' (2006) *''El pájaro murió de risa'' (2007), about
Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...
*''Anónimo Transparente'' (2007), about
Fernando Pessoa Fernando António Nogueira de Seabra Pessoa (; ; 13 June 1888 – 30 November 1935) was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, and publisher. He has been described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th c ...
*''Que no se entere Piazzolla'' (2008), about Ástor Piazzolla


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabat, Hermenegildo 1933 births 2018 deaths Argentine editorial cartoonists Uruguayan editorial cartoonists Illustrious Citizens of Buenos Aires Maria Moors Cabot Prize winners Artists from Montevideo Uruguayan expatriates in Argentina Uruguayan caricaturists Argentine caricaturists Uruguayan journalists Argentine journalists Argentine male writers Uruguayan male writers