Untitled 1941

This untitled ink drawing was made by the group Kukryniksy sometime between the 1920s and 50s. It looks like they piled up line after line to create this monumental pyramid of skulls. I’m thinking of the artist bent over the page, hatching and cross-hatching, making the lines darker and denser as they build up form. I feel for these guys, Kukryniksy! They found themselves in such a politically charged moment in history and their work became this weapon. And they are on the side of the underdog and that's pretty powerful. They draw three figures wearing Nazi uniforms standing triumphantly on top of the heap of skulls. One of them uses binoculars to look out on a horizon of death. This gesture is a double-edged sword. It speaks of power, but also blind ambition. So much is unsaid in this drawing. It reminds me that artists build on each other’s work, using art to reveal what matters to them. This piece is a potent reminder of how painting can be a form of expression that embraces ambiguity and uncertainty.