This was an era dominated by the great depression and the World War II. These major events had an extreme influence on all forms of art at the time. Patriotic art, government propaganda, and social critiques popped up everywhere. Looking back now, one can really find inspiration from these pieces that communicated such powerful messages.
This poster, commission by the US government, was created in 1937. This poster clearly communicates a feeling of coming together as a community to protect the American people. All the silhouettes appear as strong noble men. This stirs up the feeling that the men who joined the WPA are important grand people keeping the US safe. Obviously the color choice (red, white & blue) convey the patriotic message. This image illustrates the use of repetition through the similar (although still individual) silhouettes. It also uses scale, by making each silhouette smaller than the one before it. This makes the line of men to appear never ending.
Another government organization, the CCC commissioned Albert Bender to create this poster in 1935. Rather than the war effort, this poster emphasizes the need for domestic rebuilding. This poster was created through silk screening, so the color had to be kept at a minimum. Despite this, Bender manges to create texture on the man's clothing by just focusing on highlighting certain areas. This piece also has a nice rhythm to it, as the man's ax is swinging up to reveal the words "for work play study & health." This movement adds a nice flow overall.
Rene Magritte painted this work, titled L'Assassin menacé, in 1927. By using the same type of man as the murderer, those trying to capture him, and those watching through the window, Magritte utilizes repetition to pose an interesting social critique. Magritte often uses the image of a bourgeoisie man in his work and often in a negative way. In this piece, by juxtaposing an assassin with the police, he makes the viewer question how different the morals of both are.
1940-1960
This era marked the eventual end of WW II, the start of the cold war, and the early signs of Vietnam. Politics, therefore, still played a strong role in art although the pop art movement really begin near the end of this time. Posters gained some more complexity, thanks to increases in technology, but silk screening was still an extremely popular method.
This Marvel comic, published in October 194, illustrates still the same patriotic feel running through american art. There is quite a bit going on here, but it is clear that the hero, Captain America, is fighting against Nazis who are portrayed as deformed monsters. The repetition of sinister men surrounding the red, white & blue character creates a feeling of heroism. Scale is also employed here, to make Captain America the dominate image while the smaller enemies fill out the scene.
This TIME cover, published on May 7, 1945, marked Hitler's suicide and the end of the war in Europe. The simple cover sends the obvious message that the demon is finally gone. The X is just slightly imbalanced and the drips make it appear to have been drawn in blood. This simple X across the face of the man who created such horror and havoc gives an eerie yet final feel.
1960-1980
The 60's marked the beginning of Warhol, the Vietnam war, and the explosion of the hippie culture. The years that followed created an incredible revolution in the music scene, due in part to the large rise in street drugs. The diversity in this time was incredible. The mood of art shifted into a much darker place in some ways, especially concerning social critiques and political messages.
Pink Floyd released "The Wall" in 1979. Although the later albums included the the band's name and album title, the original cover featured no more than a texture free brick wall. The repetition of the even bricks, balanced perfectly in the center conveys one of Floyd's central messages throughout this album. Floyd complains that society is making everyone "just another brick in the wall."
The Beatles 11th album, Yellow Submarine was first released in 1969. The bright colors, slight imbalance and surreal imagery sends a strong message of how hectic this era was. By adding a cartooned version of the band in the middle, the artist, Heinz Edelmann, gives the Beatles the role of 'narrator' during all of this. There's also an obvious use of rhythm here, especially with the musicians in the bottom right as well as the movement all around the edges of the artwork.
The Velvet Underground released this album in 1967. The cover art, created by pop art legend Andy Warhol, featured a simple two color banana. The image echoes Warhol's art, which was so wildly popular at the time. The main banana perfectly balances the cover, with Warhol's signature in the bottom right and the album title in the top right.
1980-2000
"Creative Advertising" by Thames & Hudson
Surrounding the dominant text is an article that begins, "If you're offended by this advertisement, you should be. Nobody should be treated like this." The ad, created by Saatchi & Saatchi for Anti-Slavery International, covers the serious human rights violations around the world. By playing with scale, and bring these obviously offense words to the foreground, the ad grabs attention. Once the viewer reads the text around, he or she is forced to focus on the startling mistreatment of humans worldwide.
This poster, created by a feminist group called The Guerrilla Girls, highlights the underlying sexism in the art world. The full texture of the main image contrasted with the simple background and text creates a shocking look that certainly grabs attention. The large text at the top "Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?" forces the reader to continue on to understand the meaning. Therefore, although they have scaled down the actual statistics the message is not lost.
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