Speeches incoherent, tired eyes 1942

Kukryniksy made this cartoon called “Speeches incoherent, tired eyes” around 1942. The palette is muted, almost grey, and it divides the picture plane in two. On the left we have a figure standing at a podium, flailing. By contrast, on the right, the same figure slumps down, almost melting into the floor. I can imagine the artist working fast to try and capture the figure’s rapid decline. I feel a sense of desperation in this painting, as though the figure is teetering on the brink of collapse. It is almost as though the artist is trying to preempt something awful by rendering it as cartoon. Humor can be a defence against a difficult reality. The artist has used paint in a very raw and direct way. Other cartoonists like Philip Guston come to mind; he embraced rough, expressive gestures to convey a sense of urgency and emotional intensity. In this image, too, the artist invites us to witness the making process, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty.