At first glance the differences between the political drawing and the poetic (for our purposes, the landscape) might seem irreconcilable. Yet bringing them face to face throws up some unex- pected similarities. When they turn their attention to nature, even the most acerbic satirists treat their subject with respect, while the mildest- mannered landscape artist can rail against the established order. Nevertheless, our aim is not to find parallels where there are none: some artists only produce political drawings, others devote themselves entirely to landscapes.
In this encounter between political draw- ings and poetic landscapes, it is the unfore- seen and surprising that gives the exhibition its direction, as if the works themselves were creating their own dialogue. Invisible threads are woven and unravelled, as Goya addresses Siné, Tomi Ungerer responds to Camille Corot, Alberto Giacometti strikes up conversation with Otto Dix and Paul Klee confides in Martial Leiter. As we discover, the language of drawing knows no bounds.