The Lights in the Habour Don't Shine for me - I'm like a lost ship adrift in the sea

 

Drawing by me - mixed media - Acrylic on canvas + Oil pastel

 

Atoms

I may be wrong but from what I understand no matter how hard we try to differentiate among ourselves (and look down on people who are different from us), we are all made up of the same basic kinds of atoms......and they really get recycled in every sense of the word......they are virtually indestructible and it is thought that the atoms we are made up of passed through several stars before miraculously combining to make each of us, I wrote this poem with this in mind.

Years came and years went

We were born again

But though many eons passed away

We couldn't comprehend

Until one day the Sun burnt out

And we became stardust

When the dust collided

Another world was born

This world formed an ocean

And the ocean formed a soup

From this primordial soup of life

Came a terrible coup

We kept on quarreling every day

Till there was little left

It never dawned on us

We were all just atoms at best

George Grosz: Satirist of a Broken Age

George Grosz (1893–1959) was a German painter, draftsman, and caricaturist whose biting satire and scathing social commentary made him one of the most distinctive voices of the Weimar Republic. Known for his sharp lines, grotesque exaggerations, and uncompromising critique of society, Grosz chronicled the turbulence of early 20th-century Europe with both humor and brutality.

Born Georg Ehrenfried Groß in Berlin, Grosz grew up in a rapidly modernizing yet politically unstable Germany. He studied at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts and later at the Berlin College of Arts and Crafts, where he absorbed influences ranging from German Expressionism to Futurism. In 1916, he anglicized his name to “George Grosz” in a symbolic rejection of nationalism during World War I. Conscripted into the army during World War I, Grosz experienced the chaos and senselessness of modern warfare firsthand. His deep disillusionment shaped his lifelong opposition to militarism and authoritarianism. After the war, he became involved with the Berlin Dada movement, which embraced absurdity and provocation as a response to a world shattered by violence.

Grosz also joined the Communist Party for a time, channeling his anger into art that exposed class inequality, corruption, and the failures of capitalism. His works from the 1920s often portray decadent bourgeois figures, lecherous businessmen, and war profiteers, depicted as grotesque caricatures in a morally bankrupt society. 

Grosz developed a distinctive visual style characterized by:

Caricature and exaggeration: Figures often appear distorted, their greed, cruelty, or stupidity laid bare.

Urban imagery: His Berlin was a city of sleazy cabarets, corrupt politicians, and desperate workers.

Sharp draughtsmanship: Influenced by comics, street posters, and advertising, Grosz employed clean, decisive lines with biting precision.

Key works such as The Eclipse of the Sun (1926) and Pillars of Society (1926) illustrate his critique of power structures, showing politicians and elites as grotesque puppets complicit in exploitation and war.

With the rise of the Nazis, Grosz—whose art was labeled “degenerate”—emigrated to the United States in 1933. In New York, he taught at the Art Students League and shifted toward more traditional painting, exploring landscapes and still lifes. Although his later work was less politically radical, Grosz continued to wrestle with themes of human folly and destruction. George Grosz remains a central figure in the history of modern art for his fearless social critique and innovative fusion of political satire with fine art. His unflinching depictions of hypocrisy, greed, and violence resonate as both historical documents of Weimar Germany and timeless warnings about the fragility of democracy.

Oil Pastel Drawing

 

Wandering the Island Within - A Travel Memoir

Hi Everyone, read this humorous and thoughtful travel memoir by copying and pasting this link in your browser: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNJH9BCZ

It's an eBook and can be read on your phone or other device. It's $2.99, or approximately Rs. 903, but even if you don't buy the book, please take a moment to read the free sample chapter. Also, don't forget to share with friends.