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1920's Anti-Fascism Propaganda

1920's Anti-Fascism Propaganda

Das letzte Stück Brot raubt ihnen der Kapitalismus by John Heartfield

Hurrah, We’re Out of Butter! (Hurrah, die Butter ist alle!) by John Heartfield, — Hurrah, We’re Out of Butter! (Hurrah, die Butter ist alle!) by John Heartfield

Mes Homes, Mes Armes, Mes Municions Per Al Front — Mes Homes, Mes Armes, Mes Municions Per Al Front
Designed in 1936 by Jaume Solà, this poster was commissioned by the PSUC–UGT (Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia and the General Union of Workers) during the early phase of the Spanish Civil War. The slogan translates to: “More Men, More Weapons, More Ammunition for the Front!” It’s a direct call to mobilize — not just ideologically, but physically — in defense of the Republic against Franco’s uprising.

The composition is dynamic and forceful: a stylized figure in motion, rifle raised, marching toward the viewer. The typography is bold and angular, echoing Soviet Constructivist aesthetics while remaining distinctly Catalan in tone. It’s not just a poster — it’s a visual drumbeat for resistance.

Nieder mit den Kriegshetzern! (Down with the Warmongers!) by John Heartfield — Nieder mit den Kriegshetzern! (Down with the Warmongers!) by John Heartfield
Created in 1932, this photomontage was published in the Arbeiter-Illustrierte Zeitung (AIZ) as part of Heartfield’s relentless campaign against fascism and militarism. The poster’s full slogan reads: “Nieder mit den Kriegshetzern! Kämpft für die Sowjetunion!” (“Down with the warmongers! Fight for the Soviet Union!”)

It features a clenched fist and stark imagery that calls workers to resist the rising tide of war propaganda. Heartfield’s montage technique — layering photographs, bold text, and symbolic gestures — transforms mass media into a weapon of truth. This piece is especially notable for its direct appeal to solidarity with the Soviet Union, reflecting the Communist Party’s internationalist stance at the time.

So macht man Dollars by Upton Sinclair cover art by John Heartfield — So macht man Dollars by Upton Sinclair cover art by John Heartfield
Published in 1931 by Malik-Verlag in Berlin, this German edition of Sinclair’s novel The Moneychangers was translated by Paul Baudisch and featured a striking dust jacket designed by Heartfield. The cover shows a grotesque capitalist figure devouring coins, surrounded by symbols of financial greed and exploitation — a visual echo of Sinclair’s critique of Wall Street corruption and economic injustice.

Heartfield’s design transforms Sinclair’s prose into a visceral political statement. If you’d like, I can walk you through how this collaboration fits into the broader network of leftist publishing in Weimar Germany or explore how Heartfield’s book covers amplified the radical messages within.

The Hand Has Five Fingers (5 Finger hat die Hand) by John Heartfield — The Hand Has Five Fingers (5 Finger hat die Hand) by John Heartfield
Created in 1928 for the German Communist Party (KPD) during the Reichstag elections, this poster features a stark, soot-stained worker’s hand reaching forward, accompanied by the slogan: “5 Finger hat die Hand. Mit 5 packst du den Feind! Wählt Liste 5, Kommunistische Partei!” (“The hand has five fingers. With five you seize the enemy! Vote list 5, Communist Party!”)

Heartfield’s concept was born in a party meeting when he raised his own hand and declared: “What is more powerful than the fingers of the human hand working together?” The image became a rallying symbol across Germany, emphasizing unity and collective strength against fascism and capitalist oppression.

Twenty Years Later by John Heartfield — Twenty Years Later by John Heartfield
This photomontage, created in 1934, juxtaposes a soldier’s skeletal remains with the militaristic pageantry of the present, asking viewers to reflect on the cost of World War I just two decades earlier. Heartfield’s caption drives the message home: “Twenty Years Later” — a bitter reminder that the same forces that led to mass death were rising again in Germany under Hitler.

War Dog by John Heartfield — War Dog by John Heartfield
This photomontage is often associated with his 1932 masterpiece Krieg und Leichen – Die letzte Hoffnung der Reichen (War and Corpses – The Last Hope of the Rich), where a grotesque war hound snarls across a battlefield littered with bodies. Heartfield used the dog as a brutal metaphor for militarism and capitalist greed — a beast unleashed by the ruling class to devour the working poor.

Michael Gaylard Photography

Spanish Civil War Republican Propaganda

Spanish Civil War Republican Propaganda

filename — 1936 18 de Julio 1937
There are several powerful examples of the “18 de Julio 1936–1937” posters from the Spanish Civil War era.

These posters commemorated the first anniversary of the Nationalist uprising on July 18, 1936, which marked the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. Artists like José Bardasano, a committed Republican and member of the Juventud Socialista Unificada, created striking propaganda pieces during this time.

filename — Amb El Treball Aixafareu El Feixisme!
The poster “Amb el treball aixafareu el feixisme!” (“With work you will crush fascism!”) is a bold and visually arresting piece of Catalan-language propaganda from the Spanish Civil War, created by Lluís Lleó Arnau and printed by Graf. Ultra S.A. in Barcelona.

Produced by the U.G.T. (Unión General de Trabajadores) and P.S.U. (Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya), the poster was part of a campaign to mobilize workers in support of the Republican war effort.

It reflects the belief that industrial and agricultural labor were as vital to victory as combat—every hammer strike a blow against fascism.

Arriba Espana. Los Nacionales. Ministerio De Propaganda — Arriba Espana. Los Nacionales. Ministerio De Propaganda
The poster titled “Arriba España. Los Nacionales. Ministerio de Propaganda” is one of the most scathing and visually complex pieces of Republican propaganda from the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). Created by the artist Cañavate, it was issued by the Spanish Republic’s Ministry of Propaganda to satirize the Nationalist faction led by Francisco Franco.

The poster ridicules Franco’s claim to national salvation, portraying him as a puppet of foreign powers and reactionary institutions.

It critiques the coalition of fascism, clericalism, and militarism, suggesting that Spain’s future under Franco is one of subjugation and betrayal.

The use of caricature and surreal composition reflects the Republican avant-garde, blending political urgency with artistic experimentation.

C.N.T. propaganda poster dated July 1936 — C.N.T. propaganda poster dated July 1936
The C.N.T. propaganda poster dated July 1936, is a powerful artifact from the early days of the Spanish Civil War, marking the moment when the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (C.N.T.) and Federación Anarquista Ibérica (F.A.I.) mobilized against the military uprising.

July 19, 1936 marks the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, when anarchist and leftist groups rose to defend the Republic against Franco’s coup.

The composition is dynamic, with angular forms and compressed space, reflecting the aesthetics of constructivism and modernist propaganda.

The C.N.T.–F.A.I. played a central role in organizing militias, collectivizing industries, and disseminating revolutionary culture. - Posters like this were printed by Ediciones Tierra y Libertad in Barcelona, serving both as mobilization tools and visual declarations of ideology.

Camarada, tu al front, jo al treball — Camarada, tu al front, jo al treball
The slogan “Camarada, tu al front, jo al treball” (“Comrade, you to the front, I to work”) comes from a powerful Catalan-language propaganda poster produced during the Spanish Civil War, likely around 1936–1937. It exemplifies the Republican effort to unify the war front and the labor front under a shared revolutionary purpose.

Ciudadanos: la República os llama al frente o al trabajo : Que no haya hombres inactivos — Ciudadanos: la República os llama al frente o al trabajo : Que no haya hombres inactivos
The poster “Ciudadanos: la República os llama al frente o al trabajo: Que no haya hombres inactivos” (“Citizens: the Republic calls you to the front or to work—Let there be no idle men”) is a compelling piece of Republican propaganda from the Spanish Civil War, created between 1936 and 1939 by the Ministerio de Instrucción Pública and the Dirección General de Bellas Artes in Madrid.

The poster reflects the Republican ethos: every man must contribute, either by fighting fascism or sustaining the economy.

Conferencia Nacional de Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas — Conferencia Nacional de Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas
The poster for the Conferencia Nacional de Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas (JSU), printed by Gráficas Valencia in 1937, is a vivid example of Republican propaganda art during the Spanish Civil War. Designed by José Bardasano, one of the most prolific and politically engaged artists of the era, it captures the spirit of youth mobilization and socialist unity.

The National Conference in January 1937 was a key moment in consolidating youth support for the Republican cause

Valencia, then the capital of the Republic, became a hub for propaganda production, with Gráficas Valencia printing many of the most iconic posters of the war.

El Fruto del Trabajo del Labrador es Tan Sagrado para todos como el slario que recibe el obrero — El Fruto del Trabajo del Labrador es Tan Sagrado para todos como el slario que recibe el obrero
he poster “El fruto del trabajo del labrador es tan sagrado para todos como el salario que recibe el obrero” (“The fruit of the laborer’s work is as sacred for everyone as the worker’s wages”) is a powerful piece of Republican propaganda from the Spanish Civil War, created in 1937 by the renowned artist Josep Renau.

It reflects the Republican ideal of solidarity between peasants and urban workers, crucial for resisting fascism and building a just society.

The involvement of both CNT and UGT (anarchist and socialist unions) underscores the poster’s cross-ideological appeal.

El Generalísimo — El Generalísimo
The “El Generalísimo” Spanish Civil War propaganda poster is a searing piece of Republican visual satire, created around 1937 by the Unión General de Trabajadores (U.G.T.), a socialist trade union. It portrays General Francisco Franco—the self-declared “Generalísimo” and leader of the Nationalist forces—as a grotesque figure of authoritarianism and foreign allegiance.

Franco is depicted with a swastika on his chest, underscoring his alignment with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. He is followed by a general, a capitalist, and a Catholic priest, each clutching his cape—symbolizing the coalition of military, financial, and religious power behind the Nationalist cause.

The poster reflects the Republican narrative: that Franco was not a savior of Spain but a puppet of foreign fascism and domestic reactionaries.

El Parasito de la Retaguardia — El Parasito de la Retaguardia
“El Parásito de la Retaguardia” (“The Parasite of the Rearguard”) is a biting piece of Republican propaganda from the Spanish Civil War, created in 1937 by José Bardasano, one of the most prolific and politically engaged poster artists of the era. It was designed to expose and ridicule those who avoided combat or exploited wartime conditions for personal gain.

The poster was part of a campaign by the Republican Ministry of Propaganda to shame non-combatants who failed to contribute meaningfully to the war effort.

It reflects the class tensions and moral urgency of the time: glorifying the militiaman and laborer while condemning profiteers, cowards, and bourgeois idlers.

GLos marinos de Cronstadt — Los marinos de Cronstadt
Spanish Civil War propaganda, created by Josep Renau in 1936. It pays homage to the Kronstadt sailors—revolutionary Russian naval forces who symbolized militant resistance and proletarian courage. Renau, a leading figure in the Republican visual campaign, used this imagery to galvanize Spanish workers and soldiers against fascism.

The Kronstadt sailors were known for their role in the Russian Revolution and later for their tragic rebellion against Bolshevik centralization in 1921.

In the Spanish context, invoking Kronstadt symbolized international solidarity, revolutionary purity, and the heroism of armed workers.

Guernica Exhibition — For a Strong and Powerful Aviation Trade Union
The poster “Por un sindicato fuerte y poderoso de aeronáutica” (“For a Strong and Powerful Aviation Trade Union”) is a compelling piece of Spanish Civil War propaganda, issued by the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) and the Comité Nacional del Sindicato del Ramo de Aeronáutica, through its Secretaría de Propaganda.

Hay que dar el golpe definitivo--CNT, FAI, AIT — The final blow must be struck
The poster “Hay que dar el golpe definitivo — CNT, FAI, AIT” (“The final blow must be struck”) is one of the most iconic and visceral pieces of Spanish Civil War anarchist propaganda, created around 1937 by Sanz Miralles, a Valencian artist known for his work with the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) and the Asociación Internacional de los Trabajadores (AIT).

Obreros

Out With The Invader July 18 1936 - 1937 — Out With The Invader July 18 1936 - 1937
This poster, created in 1937 by José Bardasano, commemorates the first anniversary of the war’s outbreak on July 18, 1936, when Franco’s military uprising began. The slogan “¡Fuera el invasor!” (“Out with the invader!”) is emblazoned across the top, rallying support for the Republican cause against fascist forces. Bardasano’s design features a defiant civilian with a rifle, backed by the ghostly silhouette of a soldier — a powerful metaphor for collective resistance and remembrance.

P.S.U. Treballa — P.S.U. Treballa
The poster “P.S.U. Treballa” (“P.S.U. Work”) is a compelling piece of Catalan-language propaganda from the Spanish Civil War, created by the Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya (PSUC)—a Marxist-Leninist party formed in 1936 through the merger of Catalan socialist and communist factions.

Próximamente: La revista del pueblo, Umbral, 16 grandes páginas en huecograbado — Próximamente: La revista del pueblo, Umbral, 16 grandes páginas en huecograbado
The artwork titled “Próximamente: La revista del pueblo, Umbral, 16 grandes páginas en huecograbado” is a striking piece from 1937, held in the collection of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid. Though attributed to Anónimo, it is closely associated with the work of Kati Horna, the Hungarian-born photographer who documented the Spanish Civil War with a deeply human and politically engaged lens.

The magazine served as a cultural and political platform, blending journalism, photography, literature, and propaganda.

Un pueblo en armas es invencible — Un pueblo en armas es invencible"
The poster titled “Un pueblo en armas es invencible” (“A people in arms is invincible”) is a striking piece of Republican propaganda from the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). It exemplifies the visual rhetoric used to mobilize civilians and militiamen in defense of the Spanish Republic against Franco’s Nationalist forces.

Spanish Civil War Propaganda Poster

Workers, Peasants, Soldiers, Intellectuals, Reenforcing the Ranks of the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia — Workers, Peasants, Soldiers, Intellectuals, Reenforcing the Ranks of the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia
Created around 1936–1937, this poster was designed to rally support for the Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya (PSUC), a Marxist-Leninist party formed from the merger of several leftist groups in Catalonia. The composition is classic socialist realism: bold figures representing different sectors of society — laborers, farmers, military personnel, and thinkers — stride forward in unity, reinforcing the idea of a broad-based revolutionary front.

The PSUC played a pivotal role in Catalonia’s wartime governance, especially in Barcelona, where it clashed with anarchist factions like the CNT and POUM during the infamous May Riots of 1937. This poster reflects not just political messaging but a vision of collective strength and ideological cohesion.

Michael Gaylard Photography

Realism

Realism

Thunder Smash (1977) by Charles Bell — Thunder Smash (1977) by Charles Bell
Charles Bell meticulously recreated pinball machines from photographs, projecting slides onto canvas to capture every gleam, reflection, and decal with uncanny precision.

Like Warhol and Lichtenstein, Bell drew from mass culture — but instead of comic strips or celebrities, he focused on pinball machines, jukeboxes, and toys, elevating them to monumental status.

Tropic Nights - Charles Bell — Tropic Nights - Charles Bell
Charles Bell’s Tropic Nights (1991) is a tour-de-force of late-20th-century American Photorealism — a genre Bell helped define.

A View of the Opera and Unter den Linden, Berlin (1845) by Eduard Gaertner

Battery Park by Reginald Marsh

Daughter of the Coast Guard (1881) by Winslow Homer — Daughter of the Coast Guard (1881) by Winslow Homer
In 1881 Homer traveled to England and settled in Cullercoats near Tynemouth, immersing himself in the lives of local fisherfolk. During this stay he adopted watercolor almost exclusively, developing a loose technique and a sombre palette to capture the region’s overcast, mist-laden atmosphere. Art critics later observed that this period awakened in Homer “a sense of human beauty and, particularly, of the beauty of womanhood,” marking a turning point in his maritime subjects.

Style: Realist Watercolor with Maritime Atmosphere

Homer’s approach here fuses American Realism with plein-air immediacy. He renders the figure with monumental proportions—enhanced by a low viewpoint—while the background dissolves into diffused grays and blues, collapsing sea and sky into one atmospheric plane. The overall effect is both documentary and poetic, conveying the fishergirl’s stoic endurance amid nature’s immensity.

Fishermen off the Coast of Labrador

Hotel Room - Edward Hopper — Hotel Room - Edward Hopper
Hotel Room is an oil on canvas measuring 152.4 × 165.7 cm, painted in 1931. It portrays a solitary woman seated on the edge of a bed in a sparse hotel interior, absorbed in reading a train timetable. This was Hopper’s first large-scale hotel bedroom scene, inaugurating his exploration of urban transience and emotional isolation.

Hopper’s Hotel Room exemplifies Social Realism—often termed American Realism—by depicting an ordinary scene with meticulous detail and imbued psychological depth, reflecting the loneliness and alienation of modern life.

Lucky Dragon (2009) by Bertrand Meniel — Lucky Dragon (2009) by Bertrand Meniel
Meniel’s hallmark razor-sharp precision captures the reflective surfaces, signage, and architectural details of an urban streetscape with photographic clarity.

The “Lucky Dragon” reference comes from a neon sign — likely for a restaurant or business — glowing amid a dense composition of storefronts, awnings, and window reflections.

Nedick’s (1970) by Richard Estes — Nedick’s (1970) by Richard Estes
Photorealism: Estes was a pioneer of this movement, using photographs as source material to create paintings that mimic — and often surpass — photographic clarity.

Nedick’s depicts the façade of a now-defunct fast-food chain, complete with reflective glass, signage, and passersby. The storefront becomes a study in symmetry, light, and surface.

Nedick’s isn’t just a painting of a storefront — it’s a time capsule. It captures the texture of 1970s New York: commercial signage, architectural rhythm, and the fleeting anonymity of urban life. Estes elevates the mundane into something monumental.

Telephone Booths - Richard Estes — Telephone Booths - Richard Estes
A row of glass-fronted telephone booths, each occupied by a figure with their back to the viewer — a rare inclusion of people in Estes’ otherwise depopulated cityscapes.

Telephone Booths reflects his fascination with urban surfaces — how glass, chrome, and signage fragment and recombine the city’s image.

Critics like John Updike have noted the “tender artistic irony” in the contrast between the bleak anonymity of the human subjects and the lavish visual information lavished on their surroundings.

People's Flower's by Richard Estes — People's Flower's by Richard Estes
Richard Estes’ People’s Flowers (1971) is one of his early, pivotal Photorealist works — and a perfect example of how he transformed everyday urban storefronts into intricate optical experiences. Visual character.

Estes is a founder of Photorealism, but unlike some peers, he avoids mimicking the mechanical qualities of a single photograph. Instead, he constructs his images from multiple photographs, adjusting perspective and detail to create a more coherent, painterly reality.

People’s Flowers shows him at full maturity — the clarity, color, and compositional innovation mark a moment when he had already mastered the movement’s visual language.

Self portrait near Oculus World Trade Center - Richard Estes — Self portrait near Oculus World Trade Center - Richard Estes
Estes meticulously reconstructs urban scenes from multiple photographs, creating a hyper-detailed, almost uncanny realism. His brushwork mimics the precision of a camera lens, but the final image is a composite — a curated reality.

In this work, Estes appears subtly in a reflective surface, blending into the architecture of the Oculus. It’s a quiet, almost hidden self-portrait, emphasizing observation over ego.

Estes doesn’t just document New York — he reimagines it. His self-portrait is less about identity and more about presence: the artist as witness, embedded in the visual fabric of the city. It’s a poetic nod to the act of seeing, and to the quiet power of reflection.

Michael Gaylard Photography

Surrealismm

Surrealism

The Viaduct - Paul Delvaux

Michael Gaylard Photography

Impressionism

A Forest Clearing - Alfred Sisley

Capri (1890) by Theodore Robinson

Entrance to the Port on Port-Goulphar, Belle-Île-en-Mer by Maxime Maufra

Church Street, Villefranche-sur-Mer (1928) by Henri Le Sidaner

Factory in the Moonlight (1898) by Maximilien Luce

Mata Mua (In Olden Times) by Paul Gauguin

Evening in Moret, End of October by Alfred Sisley

Port-en-Bessin, the Beach by Paul Signac

The Old Bridge (1890) by Theodore Robinson

Natalia Goncharova’s Fishing (Fishers), — Natalia Goncharova’s Fishing (Fishers)

Rue Jouvenet in Rouen (1884) by Paul Gauguin

Signal of Distress (1890–1896) by Winslow Homer

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