Date of Award
Spring 2025
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Visual & Performing Arts; College of Arts & Sciences
First Advisor
Dr. Jill Pederson
Abstract
In this paper, I will discuss John Heartfield’s Dada infused photomontages, which he made in the 1930s following the rise of Adolf Hitler. During their ascension to power the Nazi regime used propaganda to glorify Hitler. The Nazi party also used a visual campaign to attack their enemies and people they deemed “inferior.” Throughout this time of media poisoning, John Heartfield created his photomontages that attacked everything the Nazis stood for. His anti-Nazi works for the Communist magazine Arbeiter Illustriere Zeitung (AIZ), covered a variety of angles including mocking Hitler as a person, pointing out the party’s greed, and exposing the illogical Nazi ideology about a pure Aryan race. In this paper, I will investigate pro-Nazi propaganda in order to compare how Heartfield's satirical portrayals of the party counteracted the idealized image of Hitler and his campaign. I will also explore Heartfield's photomontages in the context of events happening in Germany surrounding the Nazi rise to power.
Recommended Citation
Emory, Abigail J., "Mocking the Malicious: Investigating John Heartfield’s Anti-Nazi Photomontages" (2025). Capstone Showcase. 2.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2025/arts/2
Mocking the Malicious: Investigating John Heartfield’s Anti-Nazi Photomontages
In this paper, I will discuss John Heartfield’s Dada infused photomontages, which he made in the 1930s following the rise of Adolf Hitler. During their ascension to power the Nazi regime used propaganda to glorify Hitler. The Nazi party also used a visual campaign to attack their enemies and people they deemed “inferior.” Throughout this time of media poisoning, John Heartfield created his photomontages that attacked everything the Nazis stood for. His anti-Nazi works for the Communist magazine Arbeiter Illustriere Zeitung (AIZ), covered a variety of angles including mocking Hitler as a person, pointing out the party’s greed, and exposing the illogical Nazi ideology about a pure Aryan race. In this paper, I will investigate pro-Nazi propaganda in order to compare how Heartfield's satirical portrayals of the party counteracted the idealized image of Hitler and his campaign. I will also explore Heartfield's photomontages in the context of events happening in Germany surrounding the Nazi rise to power.