Untitled 1943

This untitled artwork, made sometime around 1924–1957 by the collective Kukryniksy, depicts a figure on horseback – all in shades of grey, set against a bright blue ground. The horse appears to be rearing up on a block, perhaps a pedestal. It's got a slightly anxious expression, which, frankly, I can relate to. The figure is a caricature, bulbous and exaggerated, brandishing a thin sword. I’m thinking about the kind of back-and-forth the artists must have had; maybe a sketch, a line here, a quick adjustment there. There’s a kind of joyful energy to this piece. The horse’s tail, especially, is so loose and free. This work reminds me of a drawing I once made when I was really mad. The Kukryniksy collective were in conversation with artists before and after them, taking up the old tradition of caricature and cartoon, of Daumier and Grosz. This piece has a sense of humor, even defiance. But maybe all paintings have that in them somewhere, a kind of "I dare you" to the world.