He followed his brother's example and learned from him the art of caricature until he began to compete with him in this field. He was still 18 years old, so the late Mustafa Amin chose him to present his drawings to Akhbar Al-Youm to be the youngest cartoonist in Egypt. He is the artist Mohamed Hakim, brother of the late caricature artist Hassan Hakim, who is considered one of the three best. Cartoonists in the world.
Muhammad Hakim talks to Al Jazeera about his journey with caricature art, his brother’s fame, and whether he invested it in climbing the ladder of stardom, as well as the impact of caricature art in our Arab world.
We first asked him about the comparisons that were always made between him and his big brother, and he said:
I always avoided comparison between myself and Hassan, and I would sometimes even submit my works to newspapers without anyone knowing the relationship between us, until Hassan traveled to Kuwait (about 20 years ago) so that readers began to look at my drawings with a kind of independence.
Does this mean that there was a big brother complex?!
Never. We have always been friends. We even used to love each other. We had the same upbringing. We saw feudalism, lived through the revolution, and felt sad for the poor classes and the many national projects.
The owner of a method
I asked him about the sources of his ideas, and he said: The artist is a leader and not a follower, meaning that the artist, based on his readings, culture, and experience, crystallizes a certain point of view and ideology. He sees clearly when an event occurs, but he does not fish in murky waters first, hunting for the mistakes of others, and at the same time he does not A social or political reformer. Rather, he is merely one who has a method. He may discover the defect and try to fix it. This may be through sarcasm, but certainly without obscenity.
Hakim’s distinction in drawing the Israelis is that he does not draw him as a Jewish rabbi or cleric, but rather he draws the Israeli as a shrewd occupier who was able to usurp our land. He distinguishes between Judaism as a divine religion that must be respected and Zionism as a colonial movement that must be confronted, so he says:
- Israel, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the occupation, has forgotten that the Crusaders continued for 480 years and then returned as they came. Israel’s presence in the region is a temporary situation, and the logic of the Gesto will bring calamity upon them in the end. The Jewish street is a backward street, and the Jews now rely on statements. Futile and some myths and legends.
Continuous giving
Despite his long artistic career, which exceeds thirty years, Mohamed Al-Hakim does not hold exhibitions inside or outside Egypt, perhaps because he does not need more spread, as the love of his readers is enough for him.
However, despite this, he is a permanent guest in all the caricature and plastic arts exhibitions held in Egypt, and with his first participation in international exhibitions, he shared the second prize with the artist Muhammad Al-Labban in the Third World Drawings Exhibition. Several years ago, he was chosen among 55 international painters to participate in a children’s exhibition organized by the United Nations. United States, then they chose some of his drawings to be displayed in the permanent exhibition in Poland.
He believes that the artist’s contribution continues, and that he - the artist - is not referred to the pension, but rather the laws refer him to the pension. He gives the example of Picasso, who continued to paint until he reached the age of 95 years.
As for the new generation, Hakim tries to help them as much as possible, whether by giving advice or introducing them to editors-in-chief and officials in various fields and newspapers, but he believes that the new generation (loves money) and many of them look at the journalism profession as a means of obtaining fame or certain exceptions, and Hakim does not forget to link That's economic openness!
He says that our television cartoon art is inaccurate, and it takes a lot to reach the craftsmanship of Walt Disney and Tom and Jerry films, for example. However, he rules out the entry of technology into journalistic cartoons because no matter how far the lines of the cartoons reach, the reader will not find in them the human sensibility.
Then Hakim spoke about the caricature and its importance in society. He pointed out the interest of the Israeli Mossad in the caricatures published in Arab newspapers due to its role and influence on people.
Regarding the movie (Titi Warshwan), whose drawings were made by Hassan Hakim and Mustafa Hussein and has not seen the light of day yet, Muhammad Hakim says that not much is known about it and that the film is in Iraq now.
He described the film, which was a minute and a half long, as a pioneering experience adopted by director Ahmed Badr Khan and the Egyptian General Film Foundation.
Study and art
Although he belonged to the Expressionist school by virtue of his work, Hakim joined the College of Fine Arts, which does not encourage drawing caricatures. The college teaches academic art and drawing of things (exactly), as they draw beautiful animals and trees and escape from reality and its bitterness.
The opposite of caricature. Perhaps this is the reason for Hakim’s rebellion against writing because he saw that the possibilities of expression were greater in caricature.
But why did he choose the College of Arts in particular? He says that after I graduated from the College of Arts, I wanted to know the connection between printing in journalism and printing in art, so I joined the Engraving Department at the College of Fine Arts, and I discovered that the difference between journalistic and artistic printing is that in the first it is a group printing, while in the second it is individual.
Hakim believes that the most comfortable thing for a cartoonist is the presence of an editor-in-chief with an artistic and conscious sense, which he achieved during his artistic journey in various newspaper houses. However, we find him describing the cartoonist as a barefoot man walking on a path full of nails and broken glass!
It remains that Muhammad is a ruler of the female type, so when an idea comes to him, he rushes to record it on a small note before he forgets it. Perhaps it has become common for his small family to quickly enter his studio from outside to draw an idea before it flies out of his head! That head who was the cause of several cases awaiting the courts, perhaps because of his sarcastic criticism, or his rebellion and naughtiness, or even his expression of his point of view.

Mohamed Hakim is one of the very few artists in Egypt who can create caricatures without words, through which he can express all private feelings and express all his own thoughts or the thoughts of others with extraordinary simplicity and intelligence. He has participated in many international exhibitions and won many awards.

Mohamed Hakim was able to be the title of Sabah Al-Khair and Rosa Al-Youssef magazines. After the elders stopped and Gomaa left for Al-Ahram, Mohamed Hakim was one of the main pillars of the institution and gave a lot of his time and effort.

Muhammad draws as if he knows the way. If the caricature has commentary, it will be close to the conversation of people in the street or coffee shop. If it is without commentary, you will find in it the philosophy of someone who knows the insides of things and is a good reader of events.

He believes that caricature is not just a material for ridicule, but a means of expressing people, and he considers himself a painter of poor people.

Although Muhammad does not believe that he has reached the summit, he always moves forward to touch the clouds.

Muhammad, who has reached the age of 80, is still drawing, as if he were playing and enjoying everyone God told him to do. He looked up at the sky and said to his brother Hassan: “I have fans who talk about me with love, and you can be proud of my success.”