The Art of War: #1

My gorgeous e-pal, 'Sister Wolf', sent me a link to a site at the National Archives featuring War Art from WWII.  Mostly posters but including some portraits.  I was born in 1939 and so my 'experience' of the war was that of a very young child and I suppose, in retrospect, most of my impressions were taken from the conversations of 'grown ups' and the impeccably correct pronunciation from the 'man at the BBC' reading the news.  Some, however, were real enough, like being taken to the school bomb-shelter with my gas mask for a practice drill.  Anyway, from time to time I will be offering you samples of these.  I think they, that is, the posters, need to be judged by their efficacy in getting over a message, and their quality as art forms.

This is the first poster:

 

By and unknown artist known only as 'Xenia'.  Very simplistic, one might call it naive, especially in comparison with some of the more sophisticated poster work that was produced.  Even so, I like and admire it.  It spells the message out with the repetition of 'Better' and the touches of green in all of the little sketches.  It was aimed at 'The Village Produce Associations' of the time, what we would call today, the allotment owners.  I think that little poster would have hit the intended target exactly right.

Here's another one, concerned with agriculture but with a different target group:

It doesn't quite work for me.  I suspect the unknown artist, "O'Connell", has been somewhat influenced by Soviet-style art with their endlessly smiling and handsome peasant girls and boys.  The white-on-black message at the bottom and the choice of typeface smacks of government bureaucracy!

Anyway, I am enormously grateful to 'Big Sis' for a fascinating site.

 

Comments

[Andrew Duffin]

Very Stalinist - happy peasants and a five-point plan.

I have no doubt there are many in the political class who hanker for a return to those happy centrally-planned days.

[David Duff]

It would make them dribble with pleasure, Andrew.