Although Louis Monza did not begin to paint until he was nearly 40, his early life provided both the skills and the social consciousness that informed his politically engaged art. Apprenticed at the age of 7 to a cabinetmaker, Monza learned to design, carve, and paint furniture in the traditional styles of his native Italy. Finding no demand for his talents when he immigrated to the United States in 1913, he took a job on the railroad and traveled the breadth of the country. Between 1915 and 1917, he lived in Mexico, drawn to the ideals of the Mexican Revolution. Service in the U.S. Army during World War I left Monza a confirmed pacifist. Upon returning to New York, Monza worked as a housepainter until he was injured in a fall in 1938. While recuperating he followed the news of European conflicts and created a series of oil paintings that examine the horrors of war and the hardships facing ordinary people. While continuing to address political themes such as the greed of postwar industrialists and the threat of environmental pollution, Monza’s later work also includes lyrical paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures that celebrate natural beauty and human capacity for love. Monza’s linocuts and woodcuts, drawing on his earliest training, are especially striking.

The Comic Tragedy, painted in 1943, is a monumental allegory of the futility of war. As ancient buildings collapse around them, tin soldiers dressed like clowns do the bidding of leaders who are indifferent to the sufferings of common people. Monza predicts the inevitable fall of Mussolini, whose severed head has tumbled into the street. Fallen crosses express the artist’s disdain for the Church’s tacit support for fascist leaders. Strong colors and assertive angles express the urgency of Monza’s vision.

Cheryl Rivers, "The Comic Tragedy," in Stacy C. Hollander, American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 376.