Verzoening Frankrijk en Duitsland 1918 - 1930

Patricq Kroon made this pen and watercolour drawing, entitled Verzoening Frankrijk en Duitsland – or Reconciliation of France and Germany – at an unknown date. The cartoon-like drawing shows figures with flattened noses and bulging eyes. Energetic strokes of black ink bring definition to the bodies of the figures, particularly the solider, whose face is shaded with a jaundice yellow wash. It's interesting to see how the medium of watercolour lends itself to both transparency and opacity, allowing Kroon to play with depth and form. What I find particularly interesting is the treatment of the central embrace, it’s almost grotesque, but it is also the main focus of the work. The embrace, rendered with bold outlines and expressive color choices, serves as a focal point, symbolizing the complexities and contradictions inherent in the idea of reconciliation between nations. I think of George Grosz or Otto Dix, fellow satirists of Kroon’s generation, who used the same kind of acerbic wit to lambast the political classes of their day. Perhaps the best art leaves itself open to being reinterpreted and recontextualized in different times and places.