Untitled 1942

This untitled cartoon was created by Kukryniksy sometime in the mid-twentieth century, probably using ink and watercolor. What strikes me is the way the artists have used line – look how it dances and darts, shaping the figures with an almost frantic energy, especially in the figure of Hitler. It feels like they didn’t labor over any one mark, but rather allowed the ink to flow freely, capturing a sense of immediacy. The material aspect here is all about the paper. There's a smoothness and flatness which lends itself to reproduction, a really accessible form of propaganda, but look closely. Notice the slight bleeding of the watercolor which gives a sense of depth and texture that contrasts with the clean lines of the drawing. The whole image feels teetering on the edge of chaos, much like the scene it depicts. This work, with its stark, graphic quality, reminds me a little of the work of Philip Guston, who also used cartoonish figures to address serious political themes, although in a very different style. What both artists share is a willingness to embrace the messy, imperfect nature of artmaking as a way of conveying complex ideas.