KORALE 

Kazimierz Mikulski made this artwork, "Korale," in Poland. Mikulski, a member of the Krakow Group, often engaged with Surrealism, which had a complicated relationship with the communist government in Poland. Surrealism was seen as both politically suspect for its focus on the irrational and personal, and potentially useful for critiquing bourgeois values. "Korale," which means "beads," hints at this complex relationship. A woman with a strand of beads draped around her body has a somewhat modern appearance, yet her face is listless. A leaf hangs from her mouth, and a postcard-like image is placed over her heart, depicting a woman from an earlier era. The artist seems to be implying that modern life is just as alienating and unfulfilling as the past, that nothing really changes. To understand the dynamics between the avant-garde and the state at the time, you could consult archives of the Ministry of Culture and Art in Poland and publications by members of the Krakow Group.