Ein blutiges Meer, An Gräbern ein heer...
Poster
ca. 1919 (made)
ca. 1919 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
The threat of Bolshevism was a constant political refrain in inter-war Germany. People's paranoia was fostered by sensational posters such as this. The melodramatic image personifies Germany as a beseeching captive set against a red-stained sea, associating Communist red with blood and death. The graveyard also refers back to military losses in the First World War and to the idea that communism and socialism would betray the soldier's sacrifice.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Titles |
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Materials and techniques | Colour lithograph printed in red and black |
Brief description | Poster produced by an anti-Bolshevik league in Berlin, Germany, ca. 1919 |
Physical description | The central image is of a naked woman kneeling in a graveyard, her head is thrown back and her arms are raised in supplication. The background space is defined by three distinct areas: a sky dominated by swirling black clouds, a deep red expanse of horizon, and a field of cruciform grave markers. German text on three lines across the lower margin and four lines of text in the upper right. |
Dimensions |
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Marks and inscriptions | 'Ein blutiges Meer- / An Gräbern ein heer- / Das ist / Bolschewismus' (printed on four lines, upper right)
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Credit line | Gift of the American Friends of the V&A; Gift to the American Friends by Leslie, Judith and Gabri Schreyer and Alice Schreyer Batko |
Subjects depicted | |
Place depicted | |
Summary | The threat of Bolshevism was a constant political refrain in inter-war Germany. People's paranoia was fostered by sensational posters such as this. The melodramatic image personifies Germany as a beseeching captive set against a red-stained sea, associating Communist red with blood and death. The graveyard also refers back to military losses in the First World War and to the idea that communism and socialism would betray the soldier's sacrifice. |
Other number | LS.249 - Leslie Schreyer Loan Number |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.1286-2004 |
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Record created | June 11, 2004 |
Record URL |
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