Untitled 1945

This untitled image by Kukryniksy, made around 1945, likely used ink, and shows two figures in profile. You can see the marks of the pen, scratchy and quick, almost as if the artists were drawing in a hurry, trying to capture a fleeting moment. That speed and directness is something I relate to in my own practice. The textures they create are fascinating. Look at the jacket on the left, made up of many small scribbles. It gives a real sense of depth and tactile quality. The face in profile has these long swooping lines; there is something very caricatured about it. The whole image has a starkness and directness, reminiscent of some of Philip Guston’s ink drawings, but with a more pointed message. The work reminds us that art can be a powerful tool for social commentary. It embraces ambiguity and interpretation over fixed meanings, and this piece is a strong example of that.