The stoÂry of artist John HeartÂfield — born HelÂmut Franz Josef Herzfeld in Berlin in 1891 — begins like a GerÂman fairy tale. In 1899, his parÂents, ill and poverÂty-strickÂen, abanÂdoned HelÂmut and his three sibÂlings in a mounÂtain cabÂin at Aigen, near Salzburg. The hunÂgry chilÂdren were disÂcovÂered four days latÂer by the mayÂor of the town and his wife, who took them in and fosÂtered them. MeanÂwhile, their uncle, a lawyer, appeared with a trust from their wealthy grandÂfaÂther’s estate to fund their eduÂcaÂtions.
HelÂmut trained at sevÂerÂal art schools in GerÂmany, evenÂtuÂalÂly arrivÂing at the School of Arts and Crafts in the bohemiÂan Berlin of the 1910s, where he abanÂdoned his dream of becomÂing a painter and instead inventÂed hugeÂly effecÂtive anti-war proÂpaÂganÂda art durÂing World War I and the rise of the Nazis. As The CanÂvas video above explains, HeartÂfieldÂ’s work pointÂedÂly encapÂsuÂlates the “anti-bourÂgeois, anti-capÂiÂtalÂist, anti-fasÂcist” attiÂtudes of radÂiÂcal Berlin Dadaists. He was “one of Hitler’s most creÂative critÂics.”
Herzfeld began his anti-war art camÂpaign by angliÂcizÂing his name to counter risÂing anti-British senÂtiÂment at the start of World War I. As John HeartÂfield, he colÂlabÂoÂratÂed with his brothÂer, WeiÂland, and satirÂiÂcal artist George Grosz on the leftÂist jourÂnal New Youth and the revÂoÂluÂtionÂary pubÂlishÂing house, Malik VerÂlag. After the war, they joined the GerÂman ComÂmuÂnist parÂty. (HeartÂfield “received his parÂty book,” writes Sybille Fuchs, “from KPD leader Rosa LuxÂemÂburg herÂself.”); they also became “foundÂing memÂbers of the Berlin Dadaists,” develÂopÂing the phoÂtomonÂtage style HeartÂfield used throughÂout his graphÂic design career.
John HeartÂfield, War and Corpses, the Last Hope of the Rich
“PhoÂtomonÂtage allowed HeartÂfield to creÂate loaded and politÂiÂcalÂly conÂtentious images,” the GetÂty writes. “To comÂpose his works, he chose recÂogÂnizÂable press phoÂtographs of politiÂcians or events from the mainÂstream illusÂtratÂed press.… HeartÂfieldÂ’s strongest work used variÂaÂtions of scale and stark juxÂtaÂpoÂsiÂtions to actiÂvate his already grueÂsome phoÂto-fragÂments. The result could have a frightÂenÂing visuÂal impact.” They also had wideÂspread influÂence, becomÂing an almost stanÂdard style of radÂiÂcal protest art throughÂout Europe in the earÂly part of the 20th cenÂtuÂry.
On rare occaÂsions, HeartÂfield includÂed phoÂtographs of himÂself, as in the self-porÂtrait below with scisÂsors clipÂping the head of the Berlin police comÂmisÂsionÂer; or he used his own phoÂtogÂraÂphy, as in an unglamÂorous shot a young pregÂnant woman behind whose head HeartÂfield places what appears to be the body of a dead young man. The 1930 work protestÂed Weimar’s anti-aborÂtion laws with the title “Forced SupÂpliÂer of Human MateÂrÂiÂal Take Courage! The State Needs UnemÂployed PeoÂple and SolÂdiers!”
John HeartÂfield, Self-PorÂtrait with the Police ComÂmisÂsionÂer Zörgiebel
HeartÂfieldÂ’s direct attacks on state powÂer were allied with his supÂport for workÂer moveÂments. “In 1929, folÂlowÂing ten years of activÂiÂty in phoÂtomonÂtage and pubÂlishÂing,” The Art InstiÂtute of ChicaÂgo writes, “John HeartÂfield began workÂing for the left-wing periÂodÂiÂcal WorkÂer’s IllusÂtratÂed MagÂaÂzine (ArbeitÂer-IllusÂtriÂerte-Zeitung [AIZ]).” This weekÂly pubÂliÂcaÂtion “served from the first as a major organ of oppoÂsiÂtion to the risÂing NationÂal SocialÂist ParÂty.” HeartÂfieldÂ’s provocaÂtive covÂers mocked Hitler and porÂtrayed the powÂer of orgaÂnized labor against the fasÂcist threat. He travÂeled to the SoviÂet Union in 1931 under the magÂaÂzine’s ausÂpices and gave phoÂtomonÂtage coursÂes to the Red Army. His style spread interÂnaÂtionÂalÂly until the lifeÂless proÂpaÂganÂda paintÂing of SocialÂist RealÂism purged modÂernist art from the parÂty style.
UnforÂtuÂnateÂly for HeartÂfield, and for Europe, the GerÂman left failed to present a uniÂfied front against Nazism as the KPD also became increasÂingÂly dogÂmatÂic and StalÂinÂist. The artist and the ediÂtors of the AIZ were forced to flee to Prague when Hitler took powÂer in 1933. (HeartÂfield reportÂedÂly escaped a “gang of Nazi thugs,” writes Fuchs, by leapÂing from his balÂcony in Berlin). In CzechoÂsloÂvaÂkia, he conÂtinÂued his counter-proÂpaÂganÂda camÂpaign against Hitler through the covÂers of the AIZ. When the Nazis occuÂpied Prague in 1938, he fled again, to LonÂdon but nevÂer stopped workÂing through the war. He would evenÂtuÂalÂly return to Berlin in the earÂly 1950s and take up a career as a proÂfesÂsor of litÂerÂaÂture.
HeartÂfield is a comÂpliÂcatÂed figÂure — an overÂlooked yet key memÂber of the GerÂman avant garde who, with his brothÂer WeiÂland and artists like George Grosz revÂoÂluÂtionÂized the media of phoÂtogÂraÂphy, typogÂraÂphy, and printÂing in order to virÂuÂlentÂly oppose war, oppresÂsion, and Nazism, despite the danÂgers to their liveliÂhoods and lives. You can learn more about the artist’s life and work at the OffiÂcial John HeartÂfield ExhiÂbiÂtion site, which feaÂtures many of the colÂlages shown in the CanÂvas video at the top. (See espeÂcialÂly the feaÂture on HeartÂfieldÂ’s relÂeÂvance to our curÂrent moment.) Also, don’t miss this interÂacÂtive online exhiÂbiÂtion from the Akademie Der KĂĽnÂste in Berlin, which conÂtrols the artist’s estate and has put a numÂber of rare phoÂtos and docÂuÂments online.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
Watch a GripÂping 10-Minute AniÂmaÂtion About the Hunt for Nazi War CrimÂiÂnal Adolf EichÂmann
Josh Jones is a writer and musiÂcian based in Durham, NC. FolÂlow him at @jdmagness
