color lithograph, 35x26 cm (inside the mat), signed lower right
It comes from the “Album of Caricatures of Marshal J. Piłsudski,” published in 1928 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Poland’s regaining of independence.
The work refers to the dramatic events of the May Coup of 1926, specifically the famous meeting between Józef Piłsudski and President Stanisław Wojciechowski on Warsaw’s Poniatowski Bridge.The caricature captures the tension between the two former friends, who now stand on opposite sides of the political divide. Piłsudski makes a gesture as if trying to convince the president of his position, while Wojciechowski remains unyielding in his defense of the constitutional order.
Gustaw Rogalski—Polish illustrator, caricaturist, and soccer player. He studied fine arts in Germany, was a lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, and taught drawing in Kraków schools. He published the satirical magazine *Rogaty* and the biweekly *Karykatury*. Among others, he depicted Marshal Piłsudski in his caricatures.
