Watercolor on cardboard;
Signed lower right;
9.06 x 8.74 in inch framed;
This provocative and masterful original caricature by the Austrian exceptional artist Manfred Deix captures a key chapter of Austrian domestic politics with his signature uncompromising sharpness. The work depicts SPÖ chairman Alfred Gusenbauer (left) and ÖVP Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel (right), who, in rare unity, brutally beat a visibly tormented citizen or minor politician dressed in a typical Austrian traditional costume.
The speech bubbles (“No burdens….” / “…unfortunately, it’s not possible!”) parody the rhetorical clichés used by government officials at the time to justify austerity packages, tax increases, or unpopular reforms. Deix dissects Austria’s political reality here: while the major parties often oppose each other in daily politics, they join forces when it comes to enforcing painful measures at the expense of the population.
With his unmistakable, expressive brushwork, grotesquely exaggerated facial features, and focus on sheer physical aggression, Deix created a timeless and bitterly satirical document on the relationship between power and powerlessness.
