Hawaii and Paris, Nicky, 1940s

I believe this image is showing contrasting images of Hawaii and Paris during and after Pearl Harbor with either standing as the daydream for the soldier. For the soldier stationed in bombed out Paris, the topless hula dancer and palm trees come to him while he smokes, while the Parisian girl near a tranquil fountain is on the mind of the man who presumably just survived Pearl Harbor. 

Presumably a young man in the 1940s, Nicky took inspiration from the pulpy images found in the horror, mystery and romance comics of the day. Fusing this stylization with images of war, Nicky’s oeuvre captures the American youth’s fervor of guts and glory during World War 2 as well as some original characters of monsters and strange ghoulish men, sometimes looking like tattoo flash. 

12” x 7.5”