John Heartfield
Born Helmut Herzfeld on June 19, 1891 in Berlin. John was a pioneer of modern photomontage and helped to transform it into a powerful form of mass communication. He developed it into a form of political and artistic expression after meeting Bertolt Berecht. Heartfield's work was symbols that were photo-based. Some are images of clenched fists, open palms, and raised arms these all implied bold actions and determination. He would use recognizable press photographs of politicians or even events from the mainstream illustrated press then disassembled and rearranged these images to radically alter their meaning. Some of his strongest work had a frightening visual impact because of the way he used variations of scale and stark juxtapositions which activated the already gruesome photo-fragments. Through photomontage John was able to create images that were both loaded and politically contentious. John worked for the Arbeiter-Illustrierte-Zeitung or AIZ a magazine that published what he is best remembered for and his longest engagement entailed designing book covers for Malik Verlag, run by his brother Wieland Herzfelde, the dust cover was important in attracting attention. His work is still used today by bands mostly such as System of a Down and German bands. What I like about his work is how bold it is and that the meaning isn't always straight forward. Not big on the gruesome part of them but the statement how he presents his views.
System of a Down John Heartfield
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