Oldal 527 [527]
524
Katarina Srimpf
Caricatures of Butalci
The 1949 edition of Butalci was supplemented with drawings by the caricaturist
Franc Podrekar (ill. 228). His caricatures, which were made specifically for the
book, are depictions of fools in Slovenia only until the second half of the twentieth
century. Because of the similarity between the tales about Butalci and humorous
stories referring to Lemberg, I decided to present this visual material.
The drawings by Franc Podrekar include “analogies, hints, comparisons and
motive patterns,” which were widely known in the first half of the twentieth cen¬
tury (Globoénik 2007: 151). One of the hints refers to representations of nemskutar,
neméur, a person who was a member of the Slovenian nation but has strived for
Germanization.‘ The images of nemskutar, nem£ur, were also one of the first ste¬
reotypical representations among Slovenians. The caricature of nemskutar, who was
also seen as a “renegade,” a “national heretic,” most likely based on skric, denoted
a nobleman or a townsman dressed in a tailcoat (Globoénik 2007: 155).
Franc Podrekar depicted the mayor of Butale wearing a top hat and a tailcoat
complete with a watch chain and a coin instead of a watch. Like the “nemSkutar,”
the mayor of Butale also boasts of the large belly normally attributed to cooks and
innkeepers (Globoénik 2005: 349) (ill. 231). Some of the other depictions of Butalci
also portray them in their best clothes, which might be indicative of their high sta¬
tus. In much the same way, tailors on beehive panels represented a higher status, as
they were considered “town dandies” (Globo£nik 2005: 351-352).
There is no obvious reason why Franc Podrekar depicted the mayor of Butale in
such form. Butalci, just like the Lembergs, were not considered as renegades. Hu¬
morous stories and the context of their narration do not reveal such a view. Both
the Butalci and the Lembergs are seen as narrow-minded and foolish, but not as
renegades. The comical quality of a fool can also be expressed through “his ugliness,
gracelessness, senselessness, or a possible deformity of body” (Klapp 1949: 157).
These qualities can best be seen in depictions of the mayoral election in Butalci (ill.
229). Butalci are portrayed with faces that would be most likely considered more
ugly than beautiful. They are shown with big noses, pointy ears, extremely narrow
or round faces, and big bellies, all of which are characteristics that make the de¬
picted Butalci grotesque.
Caricatures are essentially an “exaggeration in the best sense of the word” (Pro¬
dan 2010: 6); the aim is to shock, prick, move the spectator, and to force him or her
to look, as jokes and humorous stories can exaggerate and criticize but, at the same
time, entertain. In my opinion, jokes, humorous stories, and caricatures were cre¬
ated in order to entertain people.
§ The Slovenians were more than one thousand years under German or Austrian supremacy. A per¬
son called nemskutar was a person of Slovenian descent, but he chose to belong to the German social,
cultural, and political circles, which made him a renegade in the eyes of fellow citizens (Globotnik
2007: 68).