Quino
Encyclopedia
Joaquín Salvador Lavado, better known by his pen name
Quino (born 17 July 1932) is an Argentine
cartoonist
. His comic strip
Mafalda
(which ran from 1964 to 1973) is very popular in Latin America
and many parts of Europe
.
, Mendoza Province
to Spanish parents.
He attended the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Mendoza, hoping to work for the Argentine comic Rico Tipo
, but left the school in 1945. In 1950, he sold his first cartoon to a silk shop, but found no success when he visited Buenos Aires
for three weeks. When he finished his obligatory military service, he returned to Buenos Aires in 1954, hoping to make living as a graphic artist. Esto Es was the first periodical to publish Quino's work, which was later picked up by many other Buenos Aires-based newspapers and magazines.
Some of his cartoons and editorials were then picked up by North American and European periodicals, leading to some international success. In 1963, Quino found a publisher for his first book, a collection of silent comics titled Mundo Quino.
. Mafalda is still translated in book collections. Argentine director Daniel Mallo translated 260 Mafalda strips into 90-second cartoons that aired in Argentina, starting in 1972.
After visiting Cuban cartoon director Juan Padrón
, the two produced a series of cartoons. Between 1986 and 1988, they made six Quinoscopio cartoons through the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industrias Cinematográficos, none of which were longer than six minutes. In addition, the pair worked on 104 short Mafalda cartoons in 1994.
While Mafalda concentrated on children and their innocent, realistic view of the world, his later comics featured ordinary people with ordinary feelings. The humor is characteristically cynical, often poking fun of real-life situations, such as marriage, technology, authority and food. Collected in numerous volumes by Argentine publisher Ediciones de la Flor, these comics are readily available.
Quino is an atheist.
Quino has won many international prizes and honors throughout his career. In 1982, Quino was chosen Cartoonist of the Year by fellow cartoonists around the world, and has won twice the Konex Platinum Prize for Visual Arts. In 1988, he was named an "Illustrious Citizen" of Mendoza. In 2000 he received the second Quevedos Prize for graphical humor.
Additionally, Buenos Aires' Colegiales neighborhood named their plaza "Plaza Mafalda."
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Quino (born 17 July 1932) is an Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
. His comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Mafalda
Mafalda
Mafalda is a comic strip written and drawn by Argentine cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado, better known by his pen name Quino. The strip features a 6-year-old girl named Mafalda, who is deeply concerned about humanity and world peace and rebels against the current state of the world...
(which ran from 1964 to 1973) is very popular in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and many parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Early life and work
Quino was born in GuaymallénGuaymallén Department
Guaymallén is a central department of Mendoza Province in Argentina.The provincial subdivision has a population of about 250,000 inhabitants in an area of 164km², and its capital city is Villa Nueva, which is located around 1,090km from Capital Federal....
, Mendoza Province
Mendoza Province
The Province of Mendoza is a province of Argentina, located in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders to the north with San Juan, the south with La Pampa and Neuquén, the east with San Luis, and to the west with the republic of Chile; the international limit is...
to Spanish parents.
He attended the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Mendoza, hoping to work for the Argentine comic Rico Tipo
Rico Tipo
Rico Tipo was a weekly Argentine comic magazine that appeared from late 1944 until 1972, founded and directed by Guillermo Divito. It was among the main comic magazines in Argentina, others being Patoruzú and Satiricón...
, but left the school in 1945. In 1950, he sold his first cartoon to a silk shop, but found no success when he visited Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
for three weeks. When he finished his obligatory military service, he returned to Buenos Aires in 1954, hoping to make living as a graphic artist. Esto Es was the first periodical to publish Quino's work, which was later picked up by many other Buenos Aires-based newspapers and magazines.
Some of his cartoons and editorials were then picked up by North American and European periodicals, leading to some international success. In 1963, Quino found a publisher for his first book, a collection of silent comics titled Mundo Quino.
Mafalda
Quino's daily newspaper strip Mafalda was his most successful cartooning venture. Mafalda ran from 1964 to 1973. The comic was translated into more than 30 languages. However, it never received much of an audience in the English-speaking world, perhaps because, as Quino put it, the strip was "too Latin American." In 1976, the character Mafalda was chosen by UNICEF to be a spokesperson for the Convention on the Rights of the ChildConvention on the Rights of the Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children...
. Mafalda is still translated in book collections. Argentine director Daniel Mallo translated 260 Mafalda strips into 90-second cartoons that aired in Argentina, starting in 1972.
Later works
While Mafalda continued to be used for human rights campaigns in Argentina and abroad, Quino dedicated himself to writing other editorial-style comics. The comics were published in Argentina and abroad. Since 1982, the Argentine newspaper Clarín has published his cartoons weekly.After visiting Cuban cartoon director Juan Padrón
Juan Padrón
Juan Padrón is a Cuban animation director.Since 1963 he has published sketches and cartoons for Cuban magazines and newspapers. He was the creator, in 1970, of Elpidio Valdés, a cartoon character with more than sixty shorts and two feature length movies...
, the two produced a series of cartoons. Between 1986 and 1988, they made six Quinoscopio cartoons through the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industrias Cinematográficos, none of which were longer than six minutes. In addition, the pair worked on 104 short Mafalda cartoons in 1994.
While Mafalda concentrated on children and their innocent, realistic view of the world, his later comics featured ordinary people with ordinary feelings. The humor is characteristically cynical, often poking fun of real-life situations, such as marriage, technology, authority and food. Collected in numerous volumes by Argentine publisher Ediciones de la Flor, these comics are readily available.
Personal life
Quino's mother died when he was 13 years old and his father died three years later while Quino was attending the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Mendoza. In 1960, he married Alicia Colombo, but the couple never had children. Starting in 1976, Quino and his wife lived in Milan, Italy for several years before returning to Argentina.Quino is an atheist.
Prizes and honors
- The kind of ideas that he works with are one of the most difficult, and I am amazed at their variety and depth. Also, he knows how to draw, and to draw in a funny way. I think that he is a giant. — Charles M. SchulzCharles M. SchulzCharles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
Quino has won many international prizes and honors throughout his career. In 1982, Quino was chosen Cartoonist of the Year by fellow cartoonists around the world, and has won twice the Konex Platinum Prize for Visual Arts. In 1988, he was named an "Illustrious Citizen" of Mendoza. In 2000 he received the second Quevedos Prize for graphical humor.
Additionally, Buenos Aires' Colegiales neighborhood named their plaza "Plaza Mafalda."