Untitled (War) c. 1946

Philip Burnham Hicken made this black ink artwork called "Untitled (War)" on paper. Imagine him, hunched over, intensely focused, using a brush to make bold, thick strokes, shaping forms from darkness. You know, the heavy blacks give a sombre weight to the scene. The silhouettes of the cannon and the crouching figure, they feel burdened, almost trapped in the stark contrast. It's like a scene from a nightmare, rendered with unflinching honesty. I think of other artists who've grappled with war's brutal reality, like Otto Dix or Kathe Kollwitz. Their art, like Hicken’s, serves as a reminder. It captures something visceral. Something beyond words. Art is like an ongoing conversation between artists, each building on what came before. It's a conversation about how we see, how we feel, and how we try to make sense of it all.