Photograph As Political Protest by Joe Pierantoni

Introduction & Explanation

joepierantoni — 2024-10-11 01:37:19 UTC

I will be discussing photography as political protest. To be more specific, we will be diving into John Hartfield's artistic work. One of his famous works is called " Adolf the Superman: Swallows Gold and Spouts Tin.” You will get to see this image on the next page of the slide show. I chose this image because it connects to the theme of photography as political protest very well. In this image we can see propaganda and corruption. You see an x-ray vision of Hitler with money piling in his stomach, then making it's way up and out of his mouth. This symbolizes how Hitler was backed by wealthy elites who are the ones controlling what comes out of his mouth. To break it down more, this image shows how fascist leaders are in it for themselves while deceiving the public with empty promises. That part most certainly shows corruption, but the image itself is pure propaganda, which is what it was meant for. The ideology from this propaganda came from the Dada movements. Dadaists are disgusted by the rise of fascism, which is why they created anti Nazi propaganda. This movement clearly spread, which showcases how well photography can be used for political protest.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Heartfield

Adolf The Superman

joepierantoni — 2024-10-11 01:38:56 UTC

Source: John Hartfield "Adolf the Superman: Swallows Gold and Spouts Tin"

Explanation

joepierantoni — 2024-10-11 01:41:12 UTC

For our second example we will be using John Hartfield again, but this time we will focus on his work called "The Meaning of The Hitler Salute" In this photo you can see Hitler's hand up while a figure behind him is putting money into his hand. The meaning behind this was calling Hitler a puppet who was on the side of the wealthy, yet he was the leader of the Nazi party who is supposed to promote the little man. You can clearly see the propaganda in this photograph since it is showcasing the corruption behind Hitler. John Hartfiel was able to show this corruption through this photography which is a perfect example of how photography can be used as political protest. John Hartfield communicated a political message to the world that people got behind.

Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/265672#:~:text=In%20this%20montage%2C%20Heartfield%20specifically,fact%20a%20plea%20for%20cash.

The Meaning of The Hitler Salute

joepierantoni — 2024-10-11 01:45:58 UTC

Source: John Hartfield "The Meaning of The Hitler Salute"

How One Man Fought Hitler Through Propaganda

joepierantoni — 2024-10-11 01:58:50 UTC

This video is courtesy of Professor Goldstein. There are not many good videos on Youtube that show John Hartfield's work, but this one is certainly a great one if you want to learn more about his other work. This video is all about him fighting fascism through his art. This connects with my theme of photography as a political protest quite perfectly.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_qOvU_-61o&t=14s

Explanation

joepierantoni — 2024-10-11 02:11:23 UTC

For this example we will analyze John Hartfield's work called " Whoever Reads Bourgeois Newspapers Becomes Blind and Deaf: Away with These Stultifying Bandages!" In this image he decided to cover up a head with newspapers to communicate an important message. The figure is completely blinded by the newspapers, which has a much deeper meaning than them not being able to see. He is trying to show that when you listen to the propaganda in the newspapers you can become blind to the truth and you will only beleive what you read and hear. Print media has been weaponized against us since the printing press was invented. This connects well with the theme of photography as political protest in two different ways. We can see the message John Hartfield is portraying about not listening to the propaganda. We also see the propaganda and corruption from the media companies. This image in interesting because we can see the battle between John Hartifeld's work and the newspapers.

Sources: https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/heartfield/

Whoever Reads Bourgeois Newspapers Becomes Blind and Deaf

joepierantoni — 2024-10-11 02:12:21 UTC

Source: John Hartfield's "Whoever Reads Bourgeois Newspapers Becomes Blind and Deaf: Away with These Stultifying Bandages!"