Benito Mussolini met Kurt Schuschnigg in Venetië 1937

This altered print, Benito Mussolini met Kurt Schuschnigg in Venetië, now at the Rijksmuseum, uses graphite and gouache to re-imagine an old photograph. I really feel the hand of the anonymous artist in the dark graphite marks and white gouache additions to the piece. It’s raw and immediate, like someone just grabbed whatever was at hand and went for it. I am drawn to the marks in the top left corner, the cross shape almost looks like a little aeroplane or a strange insect hovering in the sky. The white gouache is applied in a similar manner to the corners. I am reminded of Cy Twombly’s painterly scribbles. Here, the artist has transformed a historical document into something really strange and personal. The textures and layers invite us to see the past through a contemporary lens, questioning our relationship to history and memory. This piece sits well with other anonymous altered photograph works of the early 20th century. It shows that art is an ongoing conversation across time. What do you think?