The Shooting Gallery IX 1940

Toyen, a Czech artist, made this work, "The Shooting Gallery IX," using ink on paper. This choice of materials contributes to the unsettling nature of the drawing; the stark contrast of black ink on the white surface heightens the dreamlike atmosphere. Toyen's marks are meticulous. Notice how the varying thickness of the lines, achieved through controlled pressure, gives shape to the unsettling imagery. This method lends the scene a haunting quality. The depiction of barbed wire fencing cutting through the stark landscape reflects the period when the drawing was created. The meticulous labor evident in this work stands in stark contrast to the mass-produced reality of the depicted “shooting gallery.” Toyen asks us to consider the human cost of industrialization and the dehumanizing effects of unchecked capitalism. This work encourages us to consider the complex relationship between artistic skill and the social realities of labor and power.