Repressed subtext of the day
One of the most jarring images of the exhibition is an elegant and austere 1932 poster showing Hitler’s face hovering like a disembodied mask against a dark background, with a single word — “Hitler” — written underneath in sans-serif type. Luckert says the poster was withheld until the final weeks of the 1932 elections so that its stark simplicity would contrast with the colorful and cluttered campaign posters of competing parties.
It is a reminder that Hitler was the monstrous child of democracy. Although he never won a majority of votes in Germany, his power grew through the effective manipulation of the democratic process.
I wouldn’t call Hitler the “child” of democracy, but as I’ve mentioned before, the emotions that produced the fascist cult of the leader are not alien to any of us. I think what’s really discomfiting this writer is how familiar the poster looks and what it therefore says about him—and us.
Funky final stroke on that R, innit? Graphic design went to hell after the war.
Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu.