Untitled 1943

This image, made by the Kukryniksy collective, probably in the 1940s, is a stark work in ink. The artists use a limited palette to deliver a strong message, relying on the power of line and contrast. It reminds us that artmaking is a process of choices and decisions, about what to include and what to leave out. The texture here isn’t about impasto but about the energy of the line. See how they use thin washes of ink to give depth to Hitler's uniform, and then scratch out the destroyed tanks with frantic, almost violent marks? This is all about immediacy, like they are trying to capture a feeling more than a likeness. Look at the melting clock in Hitler's hands: it could be a nod to Dali, but here it’s pure political commentary. The line that makes up the broken tree branch above Hitler is beautifully descriptive. It is a metaphor for broken ambition, a motif borrowed from German Romanticism, perhaps. Ultimately this piece proves that art is always a conversation with what came before. It's about artists responding to each other across time, isn't it? It asks more questions than it answers, and that’s what makes it stay with you.