Communist Lou de Visser 1925 - 1935

Patricq Kroon made this ink drawing of Communist Lou de Visser, but we don’t know when. Just look at that line! It’s so precise, so sure of itself. It reminds me that artmaking is a process of decision-making, of finding the right mark to convey an idea. The drawing has a raw, immediate quality. Kroon doesn't hide anything. The textures are built up with cross-hatching and scribbles, the thorny ground rendered with these repeated shapes. I’m drawn to the way the lines vary in weight and thickness. There’s a real tension between the controlled contours of the figure and the wildness of the thorny ground. It's like de Visser is trapped in a garden of ideology. This piece reminds me a little of George Grosz, who was also working with caricature and political commentary. Art is an ongoing conversation, an exchange of ideas across time. It invites us to consider multiple interpretations. What do you see in it?