Workers Under Fascism 1941

Eugene Karlin made this drawing, Workers Under Fascism, with pencil on paper. What grabs me is the way Karlin uses the pencil, not to hide the process, but to make it evident. The hatching feels almost frantic, urgent, a way of making sense of something unspeakable. You can almost feel the pressure of the pencil on the paper, the way the lines build up to create the forms of the figures, the ropes, the rough-hewn wooden structure. The composition is a bit claustrophobic, with the figures crammed into the frame. This adds to the sense of tension and unease. The tonal range is limited, Karlin sticks to shades of gray and black. It lends the drawing a stark, documentary feel. It reminds me of Kathe Kollwitz. Like Kollwitz, Karlin isn't afraid to confront difficult subjects head-on. Both artists use their work as a form of social commentary, speaking truth to power. Art like this doesn't offer easy answers or resolutions. Instead, it forces us to confront uncomfortable realities and ask difficult questions.