Soldaten verminken een naakte man 1920

Mihály Biró created this harrowing print, “Soldiers Mutilating a Naked Man,” sometime in the early 20th century. Biró, a Hungarian Jewish artist, was deeply committed to socialist causes, lending his artistic talent to advocate for social justice and to critique the atrocities of war. In this small but devastating image, Biró depicts the brutal aftermath of conflict. The vulnerability of the naked body becomes a focal point. Stripped bare, the man embodies the loss of dignity and the raw pain inflicted by the perpetrators. The soldiers, rendered with coarse, angular lines, are faceless agents of violence. One can only imagine the intersectional layers of identity at play here – nationality, religion, class – which contribute to the power dynamics of the scene. Biró’s work serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of war, challenging viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about power, violence, and the fragility of the human body. It is a powerful statement against the dehumanization that occurs during conflict.