Untitled 1942

Here we see a drawing by Kukryniksy, made with watercolor, ink, and probably some gouache, too. The marks are really illustrative, so there's not a lot of expressionistic brushwork, but the colours are really vivid – a comic palette, a little acidic, which adds to the satirical edge. I love how the artist contrasts Hitler’s two personas: on the left we have the sad, defeated man; and on the right, his own vainglorious fantasy. The painterly washes are really visible in the way the 'Hitler in the painting' contrasts with the real Hitler, making him almost translucent. A neat, simple way of showing the disconnect from reality! It reminds me of Philip Guston's later paintings, because of the shared interest in caricature and world politics, especially the way he made himself the subject of his own art. It's funny how painting can be both serious and, at the same time, a total joke.