- John Heartfield
John Heartfield (
June 19 ,1891 –April 26 ,1968 ) is the anglicized name of the Germanphotomontage artist Helmut Herzfeld. He chose to call himself "Heartfield" in 1916, to criticize the rabidnationalism and anti-British sentiment prevalent in Germany duringWorld War I .Career
In 1918 Heartfield began at the
Berlin Dada scene, and theCommunist Party of Germany . He was dismissed from theReichswehr film service on account of his support for the strike that followed the assassination ofKarl Liebknecht andRosa Luxemburg . WithGeorge Grosz , he founded "Die Pleite ", a satirical magazine. After meetingBertolt Brecht , who was to have a profound influence on his art, Heartfield developed photomontage into a form of political and artistic representation. He worked for two communist publications: the dailyDie Rote Fahne and the weeklyArbeiter-Illustrierte-Zeitung (AIZ), the latter of which published the works for which Heartfield is best remembered. [Brigstocke, 2001, p. 334]In 1933, after the National Socialists came to power in Germany, Heartfield relocated to
Czechoslovakia , where he continued his photomontage work for the "AIZ" (which was published in exile); in 1938, fearing a German takeover of his host country, he left forEngland living inHampstead . He settled inEast Germany and Berlin afterWorld War II , in 1954, and worked closely with theater directors such asBenno Besson andWolfgang Langhoff atBerliner Ensemble andDeutsches Theater .In 2005,
Tate Britain held an exhibition of his photomontage pieces.Works
His photomontages satirising
Adolf Hitler and the Nazis often subverted Nazi symbols such as theswastika in order to undermine theirpropaganda message.One of his more famous pieces, made in 1935 entitled "Hurrah, die Butter ist Alle!" ( _en. Hurray, The Butter is Finished!) was published on the frontpage of the "AIZ" in 1935. A parody of the aesthetics of propaganda, the photomontage shows a family at a kitchen table, where a nearby portrait of Hitler hangs and the wallpaper is emblazoned with swastikas. The family — mother, father, old woman, young man, baby, and dog — are attempting to eat pieces of metal, such as chains, bicycle handlebars, and rifles. Below, the title is written in large letters, in addition to a quote by
Hermann Goering during food shortage. Translated, the quote reads: "Iron has always made a nation strong, butter and lard have only made the people fat".Homages in modern culture
"Hurrah, die Butter ist Alle!" served as the inspiration behind the song "Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)" by
Siouxsie & the Banshees ; the song was re-recorded in German and released as a single with Heartfield's work as the cover art.The band
Blurt recorded a song called "Hurrah! Die Butter Ist Alle" on their 1986 album "Poppycock"The Heartfield piece "The Hand has 5 Fingers" [fit.edu [http://my.fit.edu/~rosiene/1928heartfield.jpgJohn Heartfield - "The Hand has 5 Fingers"] image] with its original text: "5 fingers make a hand! With these 5 grab the enemy!", was referenced by
alternative metal bandSystem of a Down . A text printed on the back of the album "System of a Down" reads: "The hand has five fingers, capable and powerful, with the ability to destroy as well as create".References
* Brigstocke, H. (2001). "The Oxford companion to Western art". Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198662033
* Willett, John (1997). "Heartfield versus Hitler". Hazan (Fernand) Editions, France. ISBN 285025536X ;FoototesExternal links
* [http://www.towson.edu/heartfield/artarchive.html Towson University] Heartfield's Online Art
* [http://www.brasscheck.com/heartfield/ Brasscheck] Heartfield versus Hitler
* [http://www.artfacts.net/index.php/pageType/artistInfo/artist/31039/lang/1 John Heartfield in Artfacts.Net]
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