Purse Duce (The TASS Window №733) 1943

This propaganda poster by Kukryniksy, *Purse Duce*, is like a comic strip of cruelty. There is a real directness in how the narrative unfolds, which gives a sense of art-making as a process. I'm struck by the bold, flat application of colour; it is a visual language that pulls no punches. The weight of the figure, which is so much of the point, is rendered through cartoonish outline. The colour is dense and opaque, particularly in the rendering of the uniform, but this is offset by the thin washes of colour used to define the face. I'm also fascinated by the final panel, the transformation into nothing, a kind of dark matter, a black hole. This reminds me of Philip Guston's late work, its embrace of caricature, and a sense of total freedom.