Hand of Friendship 1938

David Low drew this cartoon, "Hand of Friendship," with ink on paper, and he really makes the most of his materials. The ink is laid down pretty flat for the most part, with some cross-hatching to build volume and shadow. What’s striking is the wall dividing the cartoon in two, that is labelled ‘Militant Closed-Economy Super Nationalism’. The artist piles up marks here to create an intimidating barrier. It's not just a wall of bricks; it’s a wall of ideas, and a pretty dangerous one at that. Look how the artist has scumbled the ink to give the impression of a rough surface. This drawing reminds me of Philip Guston, another artist who embraced the messy side of drawing to expose the darker side of humanity. Art is not always about answers; sometimes, it's about framing the questions, however uncomfortable they might be.