Heartfield Response

I found John Heartfield to be incredibly interesting. I think his background and his childhood were sad, yet helped to make him a strong-minded individual. I cannot imagine what it was like to be abandoned by your parents, yet I think this allowed for him to freely explore his talents in life and led to his great success.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the history of his life because I have always found this time period of Hitler and Nazi Germany interesting and mind-blowing. I have never been able to put the whole situation into perspective because it is so crazy, but reading his history helped. It was nice to see the story from the eyes of a German who was not on Hitler’s side. Due to his resistance to fall for the norm of the time, he created some of the most interesting pieces of art. Times of conflict always seem to bring out the most creative and next-best works of art. Any change in society as a whole opens a new door for creative exploring. John Heartfield embraced this openness and used the war and the Nazi party to expand his portfolio of work and make a name for himself.

My favorite piece from the website is titled Blood and Iron. This is the image of the swastika with the blood dripping from it. The swastika has become a well-known, recognizable symbol synonymous with the Nazi party. However, it is usually shown as straight lines and stark. This image gives the symbol a different feel. While it still shows the terror that this group can bring, it is not so much about the fear people see in it than the reality of the situation. This image shows the swastika as more than a symbol, but a reality that was very present at the time. The image I posted is called A Berlin Saying.