Vajda Lajos Dragon Clash 1940, Charcoal on Paper, 90x126cm 1940

Lajos Vajda made this charcoal drawing on paper, titled Dragon Clash, in 1940. Look at the thick, rhythmic hatching, the dark charcoal smudged into the paper. You can imagine Vajda really bearing down, wrestling with the material, trying to get these strange, intertwined figures onto the page. There’s something so raw and immediate about the mark-making. It feels like he’s channeling some kind of primal energy, maybe anxieties about the war, into these monstrous forms. Look at how the lines build up, creating a sense of depth and movement. It’s like these creatures are caught in a whirlwind of conflict, their bodies merging and contorting. I see echoes of Picasso’s cubist distortions, but with a darker, more visceral edge. It’s like Vajda is pushing the boundaries of representation, trying to capture something beyond the surface of reality. All artists participate in an ongoing conversation about what it means to be human and the experience of being alive.