Untitled 

This untitled painting was made by Zdzislaw Beksinski, who was a Polish artist. The disturbing imagery and nightmarish quality of the artwork is consistent with the artist's wider oeuvre, and it can be seen to reflect a widespread mood of anxiety around the transition between the communist and post-communist eras in Eastern Europe. As Poland transitioned from a state-controlled to a market economy, the social fabric of society became frayed, and this is reflected in the disturbing, almost apocalyptic imagery favored by Beksinski. Note the figure's torn flesh and blank stare. The lower figure is distorted, as if suffering. The use of brown and beige tones adds to the effect of decay. The painting can be seen as a powerful critique of the social structures of its time. Historians study such images in the context of the culture and society from which they emerged, using written documents, oral histories, and other sources to gain a deeper understanding of the artwork's meaning and significance.