De reiszak 1894 - 1959

This untitled comic strip, by Monogrammist G.J., uses ink and gouache, and feels like a real balancing act. Each panel is a little stage, isn’t it? The drawing style has this delightful, almost naive quality, but then you notice the precision in the lines. It's like the artist is both documenting and inventing a world at the same time. The colour palette is muted, but look at the bold red trousers in the fourth panel down. That’s a real visual punctuation mark. It directs your eye and adds a sense of momentum, almost mirroring the movement of the character kicking his leg up in the air. It's the artist letting loose, reminding us that control is always a negotiation with chaos. I’m reminded of the work of George Grosz, both using a cartoonish style to offer social critique, but Monogrammist G.J. lacks the harshness of the German artist, and creates a more charming and humorous narrative. It’s all about the push and pull between intention and accident.