: Posters have played an interesting role in the shaping of modern
history, particularly in the political sphere. A distinctive
medium of mass communication and persuasion, posters have been
utilized to influence public opinion, stir the masses and promote
a variety of causes and personalities. In an age of technological
progress and growth of mass communications, posters continue to
serve as conduits to the multitudes, many of whom do not watch
television or listen to radio, much less read newspapers.
"Revolutionary Tides: The Art of the Political Poster,
1914-1989," was organized by the Cantor Arts Center with the
Hoover Institution at Stanford University, the Stanford
Humanities Laboratory and the Wolfsonian-Florida International
University. Guest curated by Jeffrey T. Schnapp, founder and
director of The Stanford Humanities Laboratory, it brings
together 120 striking posters drawn from the extensive
collections of the Hoover Institution and The Wolfsonian. They
span the era from World War I to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
After opening at Stanford, "Revolutionary Tides" is currently on
view at The Wolfsonian-Florida International University through
June 25.
Featured are posters from such varied settings as New Deal
America, the Soviet Union of Stalin's Five-Year Plans, China's
Cultural Revolution, the protest movements of the 1960s and
Ayatollah Khomeini's Iran. Graphic artists represented range from
such well-known Americans as Howard Chandler Christy, Norman
Rockwell and Andy Warhol to a diverse group of talented overseas
poster-makers.
Responding to the call of their leader, Mao Zedong, Chinese
young people happily plow through surging water in a show of
determination and togetherness in "Strengthen Yourself by
Confronting High Waves and Mighty Winds!", 1966-69, by an
unknown artist. Hoover Institution Archives.
The exhibition is organized into three broad areas, each of
which examines a particular graphic convention, iconographic
element or theme. "Figures" surveys the graphic language of
Twentieth Century poster designers. "Numbers" focuses on the close
links between modern ideas about political power and concepts of
quantity. The third area, "Symbols," explores the interaction
between crowd images and icons representing groups.
Under the heading of "Figures," a prominent subgroup deals with
"The March" - the manner in which Twentieth Century crowds tended
to march in loose, armylike formations in order to present a
united front. In "To Triumph, Subscribe to the National Loan,"
1917, by Georges Goursat [Sem], members of Napoleon's triumphant
army march side-by-side with World War I troops, suggesting that
supporting the war effort will restore the glories of France's
military past. Sweeping down on a cloud and spurred on by a
stalwart angel, they pour through the Arc de Triomphe, a symbol
of French military prowess.
