Gedonder boven de Conferentie van Genua, 1922 1922

Patricq Kroon created this drawing, titled *Gedonder boven de Conferentie van Genua*, or *Thunder over the Genoa Conference*, in 1922. It presents a caricatured view of European powers at a pivotal moment after the First World War. The Genoa Conference was convened to address the economic and political reconstruction of Europe, yet Kroon depicts Germany, Russia, and France as looming, grotesque figures, each embodying national stereotypes and self-interests. Germany clutches a pipe, representing its attempts to rebuild, while France menacingly holds a knife. Underneath this storm, a figure labeled "Europa" seeks shelter under an umbrella, holding a briefcase marked "PAX," or peace, underscoring Europe’s fragility amidst great power politics. Kroon’s drawing encapsulates the complex interplay of hope and cynicism that defined the interwar period. It suggests that while the pursuit of peace was underway, the underlying tensions and rivalries among nations threatened to undermine any real progress, revealing how personal ambitions were often disguised behind public diplomacy.