Irving Penn: Stalin, Udine, Italy, 1945
This portrait by Irving Penn is extremely powerful. This photograph is of a printed image of a man with a large cut across his eyes. The slash across the eyes makes the man seem almost unidentifiable. There are also defined wrinkles on the paper, seeming almost as if it was crumpled up in a ball out of hatred. This image is of Josef Stalin, the former Premier of the Soviet Union. Stalin is a very controversial figure in history. This was most likely the reason his eyes were cut out of the image. Penn wanted to capture instances of political resistance and occupation. During World War II, Stalin directed the Italian Communist resistance and did not permit the Italian Communist from taking over Italy in 1945. Crossing out Stalin’s eyes is a clear indication of disrespect and hatred.
The Irving Penn Foundation. “Documentary.” The Irving Penn Foundation, irvingpenn.org/documentary.
“Italy–Russia Relations.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy%E2%80%93Russia_relations#:~:text=During%20World%20War%20II%20he,major%20player%20in%20Italian%20politics.
This looks like a shot of a poster on a wall that has weathered and was also deliberately damaged, as you say, cut out of the image.