Dog and Crow Feeding on Corpses 1967

Curator: Oh, wow, a real punch to the gut. I'm immediately struck by the harshness of this black and white print—it's so visceral. Editor: This is W. Mezentseva’s “Dog and Crow Feeding on Corpses.” The stark imagery certainly leaves an impression. I find myself drawn to the symbolism of the carrion eaters—the dog, a symbol of loyalty perverted, and the crow, a classic omen of death. Curator: Perverted loyalty, that's good. It's like the dog is guarding death itself. And the bodies... they're just a mass, anonymous. No individual tragedy, just overwhelming loss. Editor: Precisely. The lack of specificity amplifies the universal horror. Notice how Mezentseva uses the woodcut technique to create sharp contrasts and jagged lines? It heightens the sense of unease and brutality. Curator: Yeah, it's all angles and darkness. It feels almost expressionistic, like the artist is channeling raw emotion directly onto the page. It reminds me a bit of some of Goya's Disasters of War prints, that same unflinching look at human suffering. Editor: There’s a timelessness to the image, too. While we don’t have a firm date for it, the themes of war and death resonate across centuries and cultures. A potent reminder of humanity's capacity for destruction, sadly. Curator: It's definitely not something you can just casually walk away from. It sticks with you, makes you think about the cost of everything.