Dog Art Today

Tag: war

  • John Heartfield: Dogs + War

    John_heartfield_butter_finished

    Hurray, The Butter is Finished, 1935 (reference to Herman Goering's statement, "Iron ore has always made an empire strong, butter and lard have at most made people fat.")

    The Akron Art Museum's current exhibition John Heartfield vs. Nazi Germany includes over 40 socially conscious photogravures by one of the most brilliant and outspoken artists of the 20th century.

    Born in Germany in 1891 as Helmut Herzfeld, he changed his name to protest WW I.  As the Weimar Republic took hold of the country, Heartfield's collages became highly critical of Hitler and the Third Reich.  Ultimately his work was banned during the height of the Nazi regime, only to be rediscovered in the late 50s.  He died in 1968.

    Look closely at the dates on these photogravures.  These works are from the mid-1930s, and are concrete proof that Hitler's atrocities were no secret and no surprise.  They are a reminder to turn to artists and not corporate news channels to *see* the world as it really is.

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    A Place in the Sun, 1935 (Mussolini, "I want to provide my people with a place in the sun!")

    John_heartfield_teaching_wolves

    The Teaching of the Wolves, 1935

    BTW, the Akron Art Museum is one of only three museums in the US to possess substantial holdings of Heartfield’s art. This is the first time they have all been on display. The exhibition runs until November 30, 2008. Click here for more information.

    P.S. Heartfield's work is also a stark reminder of the dire consequences of what happens to an administration and a country that puts guns before butter.

    Related links:

    The images above are courtesy of George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film
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    HEARTFIELD: Towson University's collaborative website site with MFA student Kate Chisholm who produced and directed a musical about John Heartfield's life and work in 2000.

    The book Heartfield Versus Hitler by John Willett is available here.

  • Smoky the Dog Hero of WW II

    Smoky_war_dog

    Memorial Day is depressing, because war is depressing.  And the thought the poor dogs who are sent into combat – so trusting and loyal – just breaks my heart.  So, I was going to take the day off.  No post.  Just a moment of silence.

    Then I discovered Smoky, a four-pound Yorkshire Terrier and hero of WW II.  And, well, I had to share her story. 

    Found in the jungles of New Guinea in 1944, and sold to a dog-loving soldier named Bill Wynne, Smoky soon became a member of the 5th Air Force, 26th Photo Recon Squadron.  She flew 12 combat air/sea rescue missions and survived numerous typhoons and kamikaze attacks. 

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    Autographed (paw print) photo of Smoky in her uniform

    Smoky also became a true war hero at Luzon airfield when she pulled a string, attached to vital phone wires, through a 70 foot long , 8 inch diameter pipe.   As Bill writes in his memoir Yorkie Doodle Dandy, ‘Without Smoky, it would have taken the troops at least 3 days to dig up, lay wires and replace the strip, putting 40 US fighter and recon planes in peril of destruction by enemy bombings.”

    Smoky_yorkie_parachute

    Yes, that’s Smoky parachuting!

    But her true calling was entertaining the troops perfecting dozens of tricks to cheer up the boys in the hospitals as they tried to heal.

    After the war, she returned to the States with Bill and continued her career in the entertainment business, performing live on stage and TV for 10 years.

    Smoky died on February 21, 1957 at age 14.  But she lives on in the numerous memorials to her throughout the country where she is remembered as one of the greatest and most beloved dog heroes of all time.

    All photos courtesy of Bill Wynne.  Visit his website to see more.