![]() ![]() One of the books he designed was How the GPU Murdered Trotsky, published in 1976 by the International Committee of the Fourth International. In the new volume, King has adopted the appealing format of his other works––like Red Star Over Russia ––which combines elegant reproductions of hundreds of images with a distinct, bold style of text and layout. ![]() The Heartfield tribute is organized chronologically, starting with book covers that he designed in the early 1920s. Often, the authors were able to locate Heartfield’s original materials––collaged photos, airbrush modifications, brushwork and text layout––providing insight into his process. Nearly every image in Laughter Is A Devastating Weapon is accompanied by an informative caption. King and Volland explain the backgrounds and fates of a wide range of figures in this way, and the association to particular images provides a memorable means by which readers can enter into the history. It becomes clear that an astonishing number of the political and artistic figures mentioned ended up fleeing Europe or falling victim to fascism or Stalinism. The book begins with a concise account of Heartfield’s early life, which had a very strange twist. Helmut Herzfeld (Heartfield’s original name) was born in 1891 in Berlin, to politically active parents. His mother, Alice, was a textile worker and political activist, and Franz, his father, was a socialist/anarchist author, poet and playwright. He had a brother, Wieland, and two sisters. Franz was politically persecuted by the German authorities, prompting the family to move out of the country in impoverished conditions. In 1899, for reasons that are still unknown, the children were suddenly abandoned by their parents. ![]() ![]() The former eventually ended up in the care of foster parents who raised them on strict Catholic lines. Helmut showed skill at drawing and painting, and began studies at the Bavarian Arts and Crafts School in Munich in 1908. He went to work as a graphic designer for printers, and by 1913, he had moved to Berlin and was reunited with his brother Wieland, now an aspiring writer, and they stepped into the lively avant-garde art scene. He never stopped painting and continued after he had returned to Germany until he died on April 26, 1968.When World War One broke out, Helmut was conscripted. Heartfield wisely fled to London, England where he lived in exile until returning to Germany in 1950. His art works were not liked by the Nazi's though and in 1934, they d eprived him of German citizenship. Some of his popular works include: "The hand had 5 Fingers" and "Hurrah! Die Butter Ist Alle" (Translation: Hurray! The butter is gone!). His works often related to Hitler and other Nazi symbols like swastikas in order for him to show other people how bad what was going on really was. He spent most of his career opposing Hitler. He didn't paint many real paintings, but mostly p hotomontage pictures that were in a lot of german magazines and even one on the cover of a book. He was showing early signs of painting skills and went to art school in 1908. He changed his name to Heartfield in 1916 to criticize the rabid nationalism and anti-British sentiment present in Germany during world war 1. He was born June 19th, 1891 in Berlin under the name of Helmut Herzfeld. John Heartfield was one of the most popular Dadaism artists during it's time. ![]()
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