The Graphic Arts truly came into their own in the 20th century. Social, commercial and political circumstances created a growing need for information- and persuasion visuals, the rapid advances in technology made it possible to meet those needs.
War and rumours of war:
“Painting is not done to decorate apartments. It is an instrument of war for attack and defense against the enemy.”
(Pablo Picasso, statement about the artist as a political being.1945)
The 20th century was defined by warfare: two World Wars which, with a break for recession, recovery and re-arming, culminated in the dropping of the first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima on August 8th 1945.
This was followed by the ‘Cold War’, a nuclear standoff between USSR and the USA, and smaller wars wherever one side, or the other, overstepped the ‘demarcation line’ of geo-political interest, i.e in Korea, Vietnam. Cuba, Latin America, Afghanistan, the ‘free-for-all grapple’ for post-colonial Africa, and a revolution in China).
During the early 20th century the graphic arts came to the fore as an important messenger of commerce, policy and ideology. Posters, magazines/newspapers, photos and film became the propaganda ‘weapons of choice’ for opposing forces of all kinds.
It has been said that ‘Wealth, Violence and Knowledge control the world’, but ‘Knowledge ‘ can be divided in two parts:’ information’ and ‘misinformation’ .
The Graphic Arts have always been fully engaged in both.
War and rumours of war:
“Painting is not done to decorate apartments. It is an instrument of war for attack and defense against the enemy.”
(Pablo Picasso, statement about the artist as a political being.1945)
The 20th century was defined by warfare: two World Wars which, with a break for recession, recovery and re-arming, culminated in the dropping of the first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima on August 8th 1945.
This was followed by the ‘Cold War’, a nuclear standoff between USSR and the USA, and smaller wars wherever one side, or the other, overstepped the ‘demarcation line’ of geo-political interest, i.e in Korea, Vietnam. Cuba, Latin America, Afghanistan, the ‘free-for-all grapple’ for post-colonial Africa, and a revolution in China).
During the early 20th century the graphic arts came to the fore as an important messenger of commerce, policy and ideology. Posters, magazines/newspapers, photos and film became the propaganda ‘weapons of choice’ for opposing forces of all kinds.
It has been said that ‘Wealth, Violence and Knowledge control the world’, but ‘Knowledge ‘ can be divided in two parts:’ information’ and ‘misinformation’ .
The Graphic Arts have always been fully engaged in both.
propaganda posters from 1900- 19751st and 2nd World War propaganda posters
Germany, England, USA, Japan
Germany, England, USA, Japan