Quino, the author of “Mafalda” died at the age of 88

Argentine cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado, known professionally and since childhood as “Quino”, died on Wednesday 30 September 2020 in his hometown of Mendoza. The award-winning creator was well known for creating the world-famous Mafalda character. Mafalda has been a pop culture icon in Spanish-speaking countries and around the world for over 50 years.

Quino's story

Born on July 17, 1932 in Mendoza to Spanish immigrants, Lavado soon began studying comics, enrolling in the Mendoza School of Fine Arts in 1945 after his mother's death. His father died shortly after, when the young artist was just 16 years old, leading him to abandon his studies and give it a try as a professional artist.

His first works

He soon sold his first advertising illustration and in 1954 he began collaborating regularly with national magazines such as the comic weekly. Rico Type and the satirist aunt Vicenta.

Mafalda's comic

The cartoon of Mafalda debuted in 1964. Originally created as an advertising idea, the comic centered on the six-year-old girl who reflected the youthful progressivism of the 60s, with her human rights concerns and desire for world peace. The humorous strips and cartoons on current events and the world of adults, through the naive and acute observations and the masterful silent gags of Mafalda have earned her wide praise and popularity from both critics and audiences. Although the strip was only published until 1973, the comics are still reprinted today as those of, Peanuts.

The popularity of Mafalda

The popularity of Mafalda spawned numerous books and two series of animated short films, in 1972 and 1993. Quino brought the character back in 1976 to illustrate the works of UNICEF Convention on the Rights of the Child. Mafalda's enduring popularity has inspired tributes around the world: a life-size statue was installed in front of Quino's old house in Buenos Aires in 2009, followed by another in Campo de San Francisco, Spain, after which the artist received the Princess of Asturias Award in 2014. The city of Gatineau, Quebec, obtained permission to name a street after her in 2010. And there's a Mafalda passage in Angoulême, France, home to the famous festival of the comic BD Angoulême.

The video on the celebration of Mafalda's 50th anniversary

Quino and political tensions

When asked, decades after his decision to stop drawing Mafalda, Quino replied that he didn't want to start repeating himself and noted that growing political violence in Latin America at the time also played a role.

"After the coup in Chile, the situation in Latin America has become very bloody," he said, referring to General Augusto Pinochet's coup against democratically elected president Salvador Allende. “If I had continued to draw Mafalda, they would have shot me once or four times. "

The move to Italy

Quino moved to Italy in 1976, shortly after Argentina fell under the power of a violent military junta that arrested and killed thousands of political opponents. When democracy returned to his native country, the artist divided his time between Buenos Aires, Madrid and Milan. He continued to illustrate and draw comics until 2006.

Among the many awards given to Quino during his career, he was named Cartoonist of the Year in 1982, a distinguished citizen of Mendoza in 1988, and was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 2014.

[Source: BBC]