1939 in beeld Possibly 1940 - 1946

This is a black and white image with red text, titled '1939 in Beeld', by Algemeen Handelsblad. It looks like it was made as a cover for a newspaper or journal. I can imagine the artist with a tool in their hand, making bold, assertive gouges to create the image of the tank. Look at the grey tones; they're created through dense cross-hatching, like the artist is building up a thicket of lines, a graphic war zone. I’m struck by the tank looming over the debris of civilization: a broken sculpture, books, barbed wire. The red text shouts out the date, 1939, a year heavy with dread and anticipation. The artist is grappling with heavy themes here – destruction, the fragility of culture, the relentless march of machinery, and the approach of war. It reminds me of other graphic artists at this time such as John Heartfield and his photomontages. We are all standing on the shoulders of those who came before. Artists keep the conversation going.