The Shooting Gallery IV 1940

toyen

mechanical pen drawing

pen illustration

old engraving style

ink line art

linework heavy

sketchwork

pen-ink sketch

thin linework

water

pen work

initial sketch

"The Shooting Gallery IV" (1940) by Czech artist Toyen is a Surrealist ink drawing characterized by its dreamlike and unsettling imagery. The artwork depicts a large, disembodied head of a baby with an open mouth, seemingly crying out against a backdrop of birdcages and small, spherical objects scattered across a rippling surface. The work exemplifies Toyen's signature style of exploring themes of isolation, vulnerability, and the fragility of life. This evocative piece speaks to the anxieties and fears of the period, a time marked by political upheaval and looming war.