Political Photomontage

Photomontage is a type of photography that includes different images and text that you cut out, layer and collage to create something that is your own reality. You take an image and turn it into something different. Photomontage is easy and something anyone can do, and that is one of the reasons why photomontage has been used as Punk posters, war propaganda and protests. Why was photomontage used for this? Photomontage is direct, bold and as said anyone can make it, and anyone can create their own existing reality. 

With the Russian revolution starting in 1917 a new sense of empowerment led different russian artists to explore new and different ways to create art. They looked at construction, cubism and and questioned the purpose of art in a communist society. Many of these new artists was an artist as a worker, and they focused on making sure that their art had a function, that it was useful for the masses rather than the elite or hung in a gallery serving no benefit to the society. El Lissitzky (1880 - 1941) was an artist from the communist party that made art like this. He used symbolic colours like red and white that signified the oppositional sides.

El Lissitzky "Beat The Whites With The Red Wedge" 1919

Alexander Rodchenko (1891- 1951) was a Russian artist, sculptor, photographer and graphic designer. In 1920 he was promoted to director to help develop and create new government propaganda posters and he also helped create the female labour posters for trade union. "She shouts books" is a poster he made in 1924 to get more people to start reading. He wanted to get out a clear message as the advert was for educational purposes. Due to issues in Russia people where uneducated and many could not read, this poster promoted learning and education.

Alexander Rodchenko "She Shouts Books" 1924

This type of propaganda styled posters became popular to use in WW1 and WW2. Block colour and text is what really gave them their own style. America, Britain and Germany all used propaganda posters of this style to get people to support and join the war. 

In 1917 a movement called Dada formed in Zurich. It was formed by writers, artists and poets that got together to create art that objected against the horror of the first world war. They focused on producing work that would challenge the conventions of normality. They experimented with text, imagery, caos and used this idea to create work that opened up a different reality. As they did not want to be established, the movement over time disappeared. One of Dadas members Raoul Houseman believed the art Dada created helped to display what was really happening in the war.

Raoul Houseman " The Art Critic" 1919-20

John Heartfeld (1891 - 1968) was an German artist, he later changed his name so it sounded more british. Heartfeld created anti Hitler propaganda that put his life in danger. His life was so much at risk that he left the country and got small children and elderly people to smuggle it in to Germany due to it being difficult to do it himself. Heartfeld inspired from his work more people to do photomontage. This later lead to advertising using imagery and short, bold text to promote and sell products. That is also what we see a lot of today. An iconic artist that use photomontage in our time is Kennard Phillips. He used photomontage to create the 2005 campaign on anti George Bush to set a stop for the US coalition war. 

Kennard Phillips "Adolf, The Superman, Swallows Gold And Spouts Tin" 1932

Kennard Phillips "Photo Op"

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