The second character 1942

"The Second Character" is a 1942 bronze sculpture by the Russian-French artist Ossip Zadkine. The sculpture depicts a figure playing a cello, with a grotesque, mask-like face and a body that is both human and abstract. The work is characteristic of Zadkine's style, which blended Cubist, Expressionist, and Surrealist elements. It was created during a period of great personal and political turmoil for the artist, and many critics have interpreted the work as an allegory of the suffering and loss of innocence experienced during World War II.