Propaganda played a crucial role during World War II, with the O.S.S. leading efforts to demoralize the enemy and encourage resistance in Axis-controlled countries. They created a stamp bearing the face of Hitler rendered as a skull, produced radio broadcasts in German, spread pamphlets announcing a German general’s resignation and made films for new military recruits, such as the Hollywood producer Darryl F. Zanuck’s circa 1943 “Organization of the Army,” which was commissioned by General George C. Marshall. Through its manipulation of the art of information, the agency helped shape the look and philosophy of American imperialism. In doing so, the O.S.S. assembled a concentration of acumen and talent that rivaled those of the iconic schools and institutes that propagated design in the 20th century. It was the Bauhaus, but for war....Utopian it may have been, but the Bauhaus school fostered the ugliest sort of design anyone ever invented. I'd hope the OSS merited a better comparison than that.
...the utopian ideas swirling around the Bauhaus in 1920s Germany positing that design should reflect a society at its most efficient and egalitarian — modern industrial design had a revolutionary mission. Design was art in everyday life. It could have universal applications.
The OSS And Modernist Design
Oh, dear.
We sense that such things do not merely reflect culture but influence it as well. It is part of conservative frustration with those in media and the arts, that we believe what they do does have an effect. It is difficult to prove, certainly, and even the propagandists can only draw from what they know, and might only be illustrating cultural changes rather than causing them. We might be only barking at the moon here - not that there's anything wrong with that.
ReplyDeleteStill, the belief that arts do have power is persistent in human history, and I have to think there is something to it. Music can change emotions; architecture can inspire, so why not discourage as well?
IIRC,
ReplyDeleteThe Soviets actively encouraged ugly design, as a means to demoralize the West.
"Utopian it may have been, but the Bauhaus school fostered the ugliest sort of design anyone ever invented."
ReplyDeleteWell, I think there's a place for some of that, but won't argue that now. Rather, Thanks for that link to the Wikipedia page- I've *never* seen that interior stairway with the Jugendstil (art nouveau) stairway- it's beautiful, but has been completely excised from the architectural history books because it's not modernist. Not everything out of Bauhaus was strictly modernist at first. That ended up being it's primary legacy, but there was a bit of diversity early on, especially in the applied arts school.
The article mentions quite a few designers that weren't strictly "modernist", and some who've done work you might even tolerate. I think the bent plywood Leg splint the Eames developed for the war effort is a fantastically designed product. IT's development helped them eventually design the iconic Eames Lounge Chair..
If you ever make your way out to L.A., there's a building that I think would be an interesting visit- the Getty Villa in Malibu. It's a rather fastidious replica of a Roman villa and grounds, but there's a recent addition of a gift shop, café, and other facilities that is done in modern materials and methods, but deeply respecting classical proportions and rules (but in a modified interpretation). I think it's what 'modern' (and by that I really mean design using modern materials and methods, not "modernist") can be at it's best when it also draws on the lessons and examples of the past.
https://www.exopolitics.org/us-navy-disclosing-secret-space-program-technologies-through-patents-system/
ReplyDeleteThe backstory debriefing on this goes back to Nikola tesla and the Nazi Bell programs.
https://tarbaby.wordpress.com/2017/07/26/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/
The Russian issue was raised when Company of Heroes 2 (PC game) depicted the Soviet single player campaign as the main character (hero) stuck in a gulag post WW2, debriefing others on how many Soviet atrocities happened in the war for the Rodina (Motherland). This was not... well received by Russian patriots, especially under the Putin "Russia First" narrative.
While there were quite a bit of historical speculation or exaggeration of certain details, Russia did execute 150,000 people for "desertion". And Russians believe this was justified because it was only .4% of the entire 32 million man army mobilization. Well, that's interesting because the total casualties for UK and America was 450k each, or perhaps that was fatalities.
From a Russian, Genghis Khan, mongolian, Hussite, steppe barbarian point of view, yes I think I can grasp their point of view and point. But from a Western life is good and valuable pov... Relic is a Canadian company, that made very solid pro Allies (propaganda) narratives in their Company of Heroes (WW2) Franchise. They ain't even American. Probably because Americans would have been shut down by corporate or SJWs.
The modernist art and design coming out of the 20's and 30's was often very lovely. All over the world- Japanese art deco from the Taisho period is a treat! A refreshing cleansing of the often overly fussy trend in the arts.
ReplyDeleteThe post-modernist stuff is a pile. Almost all of it.
Out of altitude, out of airspeed and out of ideas. Maybe that's why Gehry's buildings look like a crashed 747.
Raven, I agree. At first it was really more about figuring out how to utilize newer building technologies and materials, but of course the ideologues come along and appropriate everything that looks like it might get them somewhere, and they all got on board the 'modern' design trend. Turned it into "modernism" which is pretty awful as essentially an extension of socialism/marxiam. PoMo is indeed, trash. The epitome of ivory tower bunkum.
ReplyDelete