Pedro García Lorente — Single-candidate list, 1983 — Mixed-media political caricature on card stock

Original illustration by the Catalan cartoonist and graphic humourist Pedro García Lorente (Barcelona, 1920–1992), signed and dated 1983. The work offers a pointed caricature of power and political representation: a figure with exaggerated features places a ballot inscribed «JO» («I» in Catalan) into a box labelled «CANDIDATURA ÚNICA» («Single-candidate list»).

The composition combines precise caricature drawing with expressive colour, conveying a political critique through an apparently simple scene.

A candidacy without opponents

Seated behind a wooden desk, a man with a prominent forehead, arched eyebrows and a thick grey beard places his own ballot into a transparent ballot box. The inscription «CANDIDATURA ÚNICA» immediately reveals the contradiction at the heart of the joke: an election offering no real alternative.

The figure’s gesture, defiant expression and exaggerated features reinforce the irony of the scene, which can be read as a critique of personality politics, the perpetuation of officeholders and electoral procedures without competition.

Dated 1983, the caricature belongs to a significant period in Spanish political history, when the consolidation of democratic institutions coincided with intense public debate about the exercise of power.

Pedro García Lorente and Catalan graphic humour

Pedro García Lorente was a Barcelona-born illustrator, comics artist and caricaturist with a long career in the Spanish press and humorous publications during the second half of the 20th century.

He contributed to publications including TBO, Pulgarcito, Tío Vivo, Mortadelo, Diario de Barcelona, Barrabás and El Papus, adapting his drawing both to children’s audiences and to satire for adult readers.

His skill in caricature and command of different graphic techniques allowed him to address characters, everyday situations and current affairs with considerable versatility. He also worked as an art director in publishing.

This work belongs to the satirical side of his practice, where expressive facial distortion and a concise message are the principal tools of humour.

Technique and execution

Executed in mixed media on card stock, the illustration combines clearly defined drawing with colour applied in washes and denser areas.

The face is built up in reddish tones, while the beard and hair display meticulous dark strokes. The desk, ballot box and accompanying elements use more restrained colours, concentrating attention on the central figure.

The left margin retains white marks resembling corrections, consistent with retouching procedures commonly used in original editorial illustration.

Technical details

• Artist: Pedro García Lorente (Barcelona, 1920–1992).
• Descriptive title: Single-candidate list.
• Year: 1983.
• Technique: Mixed media, with pencil or charcoal drawing, graphic media, and colour applied in washes and opaque areas.
• Support: Card stock.
• Dimensions: 28 × 40 cm.
• Signature: «García Lorente 83», handwritten in the left margin of the composition.
• Genre: Graphic humour, political caricature and editorial illustration.
• Condition: Good overall visual condition, with slight age-related toning of the support, small irregularities at the edges and white marks resembling corrections on the left. The central image retains its visual integrity.
• Observations: The original publication and any specific historical figure used as the model for the caricature have not yet been identified.

The Taller Note

This caricature is particularly clear and effective, condensing a critique of power into a single scene. The exaggerated face, the contrast between the figure’s solemnity and the absurdity of the vote, and the use of Catalan on the ballot give the work its distinctive character.

Signed in 1983 by an artist with a long career in Spanish comics and graphic humour, it is an engaging example of satirical illustration from the early years of democracy.