Untitled (Grim Faces – young girl, old woman)

The exploration of human-like figures without context is commonly depicted in Anderle’s work. This fantastical etching may be compared to the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci because of the close examination of bodily movement shown in the bottom half of the composition and the investigation of side profile and frontal view in the top half of the composition. It resembles scientific or anatomical drawings but also includes additional otherworldly figures that begin to create another layer of meaning. It is notable that although the figures on the bottom move and contort their bodies in such an unnatural way, they are beautifully juxtaposed by the humanity displayed in the old woman crying on the top. The composition literally separates the two groups of figures, which allows a viewer to question if these figures could exist in harmony, as they are similar in appearance with apparent differences in action.

[Sabrina Piña-McMahon, 'Untitled (Grim Faces - young girl, old woman)' in "Suppression, Subversion, and the Surreal: The Art of Czechoslovakian Resistance," (Los Angeles: USC Fisher Museum of Art, 2019) 18.]