Holy Fool

At the heart of Michael Leunig's work lies the idea of the holy fool - a character who does not conform to social norms of behaviour because of mental disability or as a deliberate choice, but is regarded as having a compensating divine blessing or inspiration. The holy fool is the protagonist in most of Michael's paintings and cartoons. He is, in short, that strange person with the big nose, Mr Curly, and Vasco Pyjama. In Holy Fool over 240 of Michael Leunig's artworks are collected together for the first time in a book - ranging from paintings, to sculpture, from prints to drawings. As wonderful as his cartoons are, in Holy Fool we see so much more of the artistic expression of Michael Leunig. Filled with his trademark, lunacy, poignancy and arrow to the heart wisdom Holy Fool is the must-have volume for the legion of Leunig fans.Author BiographyMichael Leunig is an Australian cartoonist, writer, painter, philosopher and poet. His commentary on political, cultural and emotional life, which spans more than forty years, has often explored the idea of an innocent and sacred personal world. The fragile ecosystem of human nature and its relationship to the wider natural world is a related and recurrent theme. His newspaper work appears regularly in the Melbourne Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. Leunig describes his approach as regressive, humorous, messy, mystical, primal and vaudevillian-producing work that is open to many interpretations. It has been widely adapted in education, music, theatre, psychotherapy and spiritual life.