Everything about John Heartfield totally explained
John Heartfield (
June 19,
1891–
April 26,
1968) is the
anglicized name of the
German photomontage artist
Helmut Herzfeld. He chose to call himself
Heartfield in 1916, to criticize the rabid
nationalism and anti-
British sentiment prevalent in Germany during
World War I.
Career
In 1918 Heartfield began at the
Berlin Dada scene, and the
Communist Party of Germany. He was dismissed from the
Reichswehr film service on account of his support for the
strike that followed the assassination of
Karl Liebknecht and
Rosa Luxemburg. With
George Grosz, he founded
Die Pleite, a satirical magazine. After meeting
Bertolt 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 daily
Die Rote Fahne and the weekly
Arbeiter-Illustrierte-Zeitung (AIZ), the latter of which published the works for which Heartfield is best remembered.
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 for
England living in
Hampstead. He settled in
East Germany and
Berlin after
World War II, in 1954, and worked closely with theater directors such as
Benno Besson and
Wolfgang Langhoff at
Berliner Ensemble and
Deutsches 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 the
swastika in order to undermine their
propaganda message.
One of his more famous pieces, made in 1935 entitled
Hurrah, die Butter ist Alle! 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 Fingerswith its original text:
"5 fingers make a hand! With these 5 grab the enemy!", was referenced by
alternative metal band
System 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".
Further Information
Get more info on 'John Heartfield'.
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