Song of Warning and Annunciation c. 1929

"Song of Warning and Annunciation" is a woodcut created by Stanislaus Szukalski around 1929. The artwork depicts a skeletal figure with a building on its head, its ribcage filled with more buildings. The skeleton is in a pose of alert, with its hands near its mouth as if it is about to make a sound. The work uses stark black and white to highlight the skeletal figure and create a sense of foreboding, emphasizing the ominous warning implied by the title. Szukalski’s works often explored themes of mortality and the social and political conditions of his time.