Shima's dark and often grotesque graphics stand in stark contrast to the vibrant oil paintings for which he has become famous. However, the artist considers them amongst his most important works since they most powerfully illustrate the mental and spiritual anguish which he suffered (along with countless Albanians) during his country's dictatorship period. Represented as a hidious half-man, half-mule, the monstrous dictator crushes screaming victims in his fists, while other naked and tormented figures plead skyward for mercy and understanding; one man, robbed of his dignity, looks only part human . . . and part animal. Another insane individual holds his cut-off head in his hands as smoke drifts from his neck. Such shocking political commentary -unheard of in Communist Albania- could have resulted in Shima's imprisonment or execution, were it ever discovered.