Where we sould better land? 1943

This piece from 1940-43 by the Kukryniksy collective is a cartoon rendered with ink, probably, and watercolor washes. I can imagine the artists working collaboratively, maybe tossing ideas back and forth, laughing at their own jokes. There are these dark, comic caricatures of Nazi leaders depicted as birds. The artists are having fun with the process, like a game of exaggeration and distortion to lampoon the enemy. There’s a playful quality in the way the artists render the figures, emphasizing their grotesque features with bold lines and expressive gestures. The way the paint is applied feels urgent, like they needed to get this message out quickly. It reminds me of other political cartoonists and satirists who use humor as a weapon, like Philip Guston or Nicole Eisenman, who use humor as a way to address serious issues. Artists are always in conversation with each other, riffing on each other's ideas, pushing the boundaries of what art can do. It’s about using creativity as a tool for resistance.