Colonial Policy 1926

Pavel Filonov created this dense composition, Colonial Policy, using ink and possibly watercolor on paper. The frenetic marks and fragmented imagery speak to Filonov's distinctive analytical style, where he aimed to depict the world not as it appears, but as it is known conceptually. You can see the artist built the image up from a multitude of small touches, a kind of pointillism of meaning. This approach extends to the content of the work too. It suggests a world where every detail is connected, caught in a web of social and political forces. Look closely, and you can see symbols of power – military uniforms, perhaps even the apparatus of execution – juxtaposed with fragmented faces and illegible texts. The sheer amount of labor involved in this process, the intense concentration required, mirrors the immense work of colonialism itself, which grinds individuals down into mere components of a larger, oppressive system. Filonov invites us to see art-making itself as a form of labor, deeply implicated in the structures of power that shape our world.