About the Bombs & Brushes Exhibit

"A painter paints the appearance of things, not their objective correctness, in fact he creates new appearances of things. "-- Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

More than mere observers, artists have fulfilled the vital tasks of interpreting humanity for centuries. Their creations have served to express the mood of a majority or to voice the quiet thoughts of a minority. Art has long been applauded for its unique reflection of societal growth . Art’s proactive campaigns, on the other hand, have not been as well recognized. The relationship between art and society is frequently oscillating—constantly trading off the roles of reactor and instigator.

The Bombs & Brushes exhibit is created with eye-opening, call-to-action, activist artworks in mind. The exhibit explores the art of revolution and the artists’ role as catalysts for societal change. By viewing artistic methods in the light of different social movements, one can observe how present art's influence can be. The strongest representations of a revolution may very well be symbols of both bombs and brushes.

The long trusted ingredient for social turnover and successful revolutions consists of a willing and able population as well thinkers who awaken and unite the masses. Intellectuals were afforded higher learning and were able realize the need and possibility for change (Hoppe, "Natural Elites, Intellectuals, and the State"). The saturation of novel ideas then spreads from institutions of higher learning to intellectuals. But, if the learned ideals clash with current social issues, intellectuals can turn into revolutionaries. These attitudes then proliferate among the common masses via available and plentiful art mediums. If not through physical distribution alone, the influence of artworks can be multiplied, extended, and reinforced through networks of people who exchange ideas and information with each other. Art not only reflects, it also influences and compels the population to heed to its message. “Art is the fountainhead from which…consequent actions ultimately spring,” says Murray Edelman, writer of book From Art to Politics: How Artistic Creations Shape Political Conceptions. “The conduct, virtues, and vices associated with politics,” notes Edelman, “come directly from art, then, and only indirectly from immediate experiences.”

Demonstrably, artists and their creations have rallied the population for attention and change. The collection's chronology of events walks through a history of revolutionary art. Beginning with France in the late 18th century, art works have been a calling card for reformation. Notably, Jacques Louis David’s The Oath of the Horatii (1785) delivered a clear message to the Intelligencias that the French Academy and royalty are weak and inept authoritarians. Similar paintings by David spurred futher dissent from the monarchy. Later on, The Army of Jugs (1793) and similarly mass produced posters were used to bond the French people against Royal rule. As time progresses, the rise of photomontages saw the creation of Höch’s Cut With the Dada Kitchen Knife (1919) and Heartfields’ The Butter is Gone (1935) which both rebel against the standing government in their own right. Finally, in the 20th century, artists such as Andy Warhol and Shepard Fiarey implemented repeated prints and posters to make a lasting impression about conformity.

The body of the Bombs & Brushes exhibit intends to publicize art’s deep involvement in ideological and social revolutions. The addition of music intends to further enhance the experience. Pieces played were out-of-the box for their time and embodied messages for change or social betterment. The power of art on revolutionary movements is undeniable and still as present in society today as it was centuries ago.

The Oath of the Horatii

Jacques Louis David (France; 1748 –1825)
The Oath of the Horatii (c.1785)
The Louvre (Paris, France)

Accompanying Song: Symphony No. 25 in G Minor by Mozart










The maneuvering of such a grand revolutionary scheme as France's lies greatly in debt to painter Jacques Louis David. David was a member of the Intelligencia, or the intellectuals, and received his art training from the prestigious Royal Academy. However, as he grew older, so did his distaste for the gluttonous and power-hogging nobility and monarchy. In 1785, David paints The Oath of the Horatii, a piece of work that seemed to be riddled with artistic flaws. David's compositional and technical inaccuracy was way out of line according to the highly praised artistic hierarchy of the time. However, to the Intelligencia, these subtle "mistakes" clearly read as a rejection to the French Academy's standards. Techniques praised by the Royal Academy were reserved for only the females in the painting, hinting that the weak and powerless characteristics of the women reflected onto the nobility and royalty. On the other hand, David rejects these techniques for the strong warriors, communicating that strength lies with the Intelligencia and working classes. Similar paintings by David were posted in the Louvre where other members of the Intelligencia could pick up on the message and unite against the nobility and monarchy. This slight but clever method of communication proves art's prowess in turning the wheels of change.

The Army of Jugs

Jacques Louis David (France; 1748 –1825)
The Army of Jugs (c. 1793)
Bibliotheque Nationale de France (Paris, France)

Accompanying Song: Le Chant Du Dpart 1794









David switches to a different style in the creation of The Army of Jugs, a popular poster filled with bawdy and crass humor. There are no hidden concepts or subtleties like in David's Oath of the Horatii. The caricatures of the soldiers have jug bodies, a play on the French word for jug which is also slang for "idiot". The king's men are depicted as fools who are defecated on by the working class. Furthermore, there is an explanation at the bottom that leaves no chance for misinterpretation. This poster is easily replicated and, indeed, was copied and posted around France's pubs where the working class could see them. This method easily communicated to the masses that the monarchy was impotent and the time to rebel was nearing. David craftily uses art as a tool to reach the masses quickly and efficiently and unite them for a massive revolutionary effort.

Cut with the Dada Kitchen Knife

Hannah Höch (Germany; 1889 – 1978)
Cut with the Dada Kitchen Knife (c.1919)
Staatliche Museum (Berlin, Germany)

Accompanying Song: And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda by Eric Bogle











The chaos and disorder within this photomontage embodies the dogma of the Dada. Dadaism was a cultural movement that developed after the peak of World War I and concentrated on anti-war politics. Believing that it was "reason" that motivated war efforts, the movement employed a rejection of current art standards ("Dada"). The anti-bourgeois sentiment is evident in Höch's depiction of the Kaiser and other political leaders in chorus girl costumes and a background of exploding machine parts (DiLascia). The photomontage satirizes the capitalists and their machinery, displaying that such capitalist greed and logical methods cause destruction. Höch intentionally creates disorder and avoids aesthetics in order to reject the societal norms. Such avoidance of order voices her dissent from bourgeois "reason" and "logic".

The Butter is Gone

John Heartfield (Germany; 1891 – 1968)
The Butter Is Gone(c.1932)
Akademie der Kunste (Berlin, Germany)

Accompanying song: Die Gedanken Sind Frei (Our Thoughts Are Free)










Here, Heartfield bites back at the Nazi party and ridicules its inability to feed Germany. During a food shortage in '35 Herman Göring of the German Nazi party said, “Iron has always made a nation strong, butter and lard have only made the people fat”. In this picture Heartfield depicts Germans trying to eat weapons in lieu of the butter they're supposed to have. He criticizes the value of building up arms over providing food for a destitute Germany (Evans). Such photos were often depicted in the Arbeiter-Illustrierte-Zeitung, a weekly magazine, and reached a wide audience. Heartfield's radical images and thick coatings of satire served as a powerful tool in revealing to Germans the corruption and self-serving ways of the Nazi party.

MoMA Poll

Hans Haacke (America; 1936-Present)
MoMA Poll (c. 1970)
The Museum of Modern Art (New York City, U.S.)

Accompanying Song: Another Brink in the Wall by Pink Floyd










This unique form of art behaves like a monument while introducing public interaction. The piece consists of a big poster board with the question "Would the fact that Governor Rockefeller has not denounced President Nixon's Indochina Policy be a reason for you not voting for him in November?" and two ballot boxes made of plexi-glass. The results yielded twice as many “yes” ballots than “no” ballots. The interactive aspect of t his work fuses it with plenty of power. It is no longer the sole creation of one person but is the resulting masterpiece of a collection of people. The public's involvement in this piece strengthens its statement and validity. Governor Rockefeller was a member MoMA's board of trustees at the time. This is the first work of Institutional Critique (critique of art institutions)(“Hans Haacke”). MoMA poll rebels against the structure of art institutions and refuses to conform to the institution's mandates. The issue may not be a huge movement, but Haacke's work represents art's ability to instigate change and to rally public favor.

"Mao" Series

Andy Warhol American (America; 1930-1987)
Mao Series (c. 1973)
Akron Art Museum, Ohio

Accompanying Song: Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd











Andy Warhol’s silk-screened portraits of Mao were a reaction to the Chinese Cultural Revolution and Mao’s totalitarian propaganda. After Mao Zedong's rise to power, Chinese art was radically changed. Paintings were encouraged to be red, bright, and shinny while images of Mao became more and more idealized ("Cult of Mao"). Buildings were also plastered with colossal posters of leader Mao. In response to such restrictions and propaganda, Warhol rendered his own version of the famous poster. In his own creation, Warhol used flamboyant brushstrokes and arbitrary colors on Mao’s clothing and complexion to resemble graffiti. Such techniques boldly stated its rejection to Chinese censorship on art. Furthermore, the series also serves as commentary on the similarity of the communist public posters to capitalist advertising media (Art Institute of Chicago). Warhol’s work wages its own revolt against artistic suppression while opening the eyes of the public to the dangers of propaganda.

Your Body Is A Battlegound

Barbara Kruger (America; 1945-Present )
Untitled (your body is a battleground) (c. 1989)
The Broad Art Foundation (Santa Monica, U.S.)

Accompanying Song: Rrriot Girl by Le Tigre

Kruger draws attention to society's lust for objectifying the female body. The silk screen poster applies the use of a negative to split the poster into halves. The end result criticizes the standard of symmetry applied to feminine beauty as well as the media obsession with advertising such benchmarks (The Broad Art Foundation). Furthermore, "Your Body is A Battleground" designates female ownership and even points to rightful power. The statement “Your body is a battleground” heralds that females can have control over their own bodies and must fight for their right. The simple yet stark poster sends a clear message about the divine rights women have over their bodies. Additionally, its bold statement encourages females to stand up against lies-spinning media and a shallow society.

Obey Giant

Frank Shepard Fairey (America; 1970-Present)
Obey Giant (c.1993)
The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

Accompanying Song: I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight by U2

The Obey Giant sticker campaign was an “experiment in Phenomenology”, says creator Fiarey. Fiarey wanted to draw attention to propaganda and the public willingness to swallow it down. The introduction of the Obey pictures challenged viewers to think critically of themselves in relation to their surroundings. Furthermore, it emphasizes a message about the path of least resistance: to obey or not to obey ("Shepard Fairey--Agent of Change"). The mass production of these stickers has proliferated society with this concept. Stickers may be stuck to walls on city streets and stencils of the image have even been seen on buildings. Like David’s mass reproduction of The Army of Jugs, the multiple copies make it more accessible to the public, so much so that one cannot ignore it. Fiarey’s campaign for questioning obedience acts as a grass root movement that advocates engaged thinking and rejection of passivity.