Heartfield: Father of the Photomontage (Enhanced DVD)

The First World War which lasted between 1914 to 1919 saw the emphatic rise of the German nationalism and there were a lot of artists who rebelled against this phenomenon. John Heartfield whose real name was Helmut Herzfield was one artist who was not the type to be bowed down by the German nationalistic powers and he was one artist, who rebelled openly. In rebellion to that phenomenon, he adopted an English name which was one of the integral representations of his relentless rebellion and hostile attitude against the forces of German Nationalism.

A detailed and extremely well made documentary video which gives complete insight into the life and times of John Heartfield. This program which is biographical in nature starts in his birthplace Berlin and focuses on the different phases of his life be it his bitter childhood, his entry in the Dadaist movement and his longstanding friendship with the German Playwright Bertolt Brecht. It also highlights his hostile attitude against Hitler’s Nazi rule through his inciting compositions.

The program covers his entire lifespan including his exile in Britain and his going back to East Germany in 1951. Archival stuffs, interviews and speeches starring an ardently passionate Heartfield who is not afraid to speak his heart out are combined with a number of examples of his work. Heartfield often called himself a monteur, which meant he was an assembler rather than an artist. He took pride in merging technology, mass communication and then aesthetically sought for a mechanical reproduction when creating the images. It is said, that in order to create a montage, he often cut and then pasted photographs, images and words which he easily found in many periodicals.
Heartfield: Father of the Photomontage is a biographical with English narration and some portions in English and German subtitles.

(Heartfield: Father of the Photomontage, Enhanced DVD, 51 minutes)
ISBN: 978-1-61616-836-0
Copy Right Date: 2009