Untitled 

This untitled work was made in the Soviet Union by the artistic collective known as Kukryniksy, sometime between 1924 and 1957. It's a caricature of Nazi soldiers, recognizable by their helmets and swastika armbands, and their exaggeratedly cruel features. They are depicted in a barren landscape, stripping and looting from the dead or dying in the background. The image creates meaning through the visual codes of caricature, and it draws on historical associations with the atrocities committed by the Nazis during World War II. During this period, the Soviet Union had a state-sponsored artistic institution, which would have influenced the production and distribution of such a work. This artwork is politically charged and served as propaganda, meant to denounce the actions of the Nazis. Historians rely on resources such as political documents, art criticism, and biographical information to gain a deeper understanding of the context in which art is created and received.