Artists of World War II

by Barbara McCloskey

Overview

The first global survey of art in WWII, this volume features selected biographies of artists and detailed discussions of war-era art worlds in China, France, Italy, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, Spain, and the United States. Readers can compare and contrast artists' experiences of war in these different countries. They will observe the artists' wide range of responses to war, from producing art works that actively supported the war effort, to criticism of death and destruction.

Chapters begin with short synopses of the art worlds in each of these countries leading up to World War II. Following this are approximately five detailed biographies of selected artists whose works exhibited a wide range of responses to the war efforts of their nation. Their works cover a range of artistic styles, from traditional to modern, and demonstrate the blurred boundaries of art and propaganda during this period. The influence of their works on World War II and how their communities, and the world, responded to those works, gives readers a unique view on the powerful influence of art in war.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313321535
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/30/2005
Series:	Artists of an Era
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.22(h) x 0.83(d)

About the Author

Barbara McCloskey is an associate professor of art history at the University of Pittsburg. She is the author of George Grosz and the Communist Party: Art and Radicalism in Crisis, 1918 to 1936.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Art and World War II
Artists in China: Between War and Civil War
Artists in France: Between Collaboration and Resistance
Artists in Germany: Constructing the "Thousand-Year Reich"
Artists in Great Britain: Creating Art as Propaganda during "The Blitz"
Artists of Italy: Shaping a Fascist Culture of Consensus
Artists in Japan: Relating Tradition and Modernity to the Art of "Holy War"
Artists in the Soviet Union: Defending Communist Utopia
Artists in Spain: Waging a Media War
Artists in the United States: Selling War and Peace in the "American Century"
Conclusion: Remembering World War II
Timeline
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

Keith Holz

"Never has the story of World War II's artists been told with such breathtaking scope and clarity. McCloskey's gripping narrative will captivate students encountering this overlooked area of art history for the first time as well as historians and art historians well versed in the period. The unprecedented international reach of Artists and World War II provides a much needed synthesis of the scholarship on art production and politics under the extreme conditions of modern warfare."

Paul B. Jaskot

"Barbara McCloskey's Artists of World War II is the first book that attempts to provide a synthetic survey of the art in the countries of major combatants in World War II, both east and west. The book is rich in institutional detail and, unlike most comparative discussions of art in these countries for the interwar period, does not short change either the political history or the artistic debates. Each chapter is coherently organized and accessible, with useful artistic biographies of key players. Global in scope and ambitious in scale, this book functions as a strong primer for students new to the field but also, for the specialist, details compelling questions of the political function of art in democratic, communist, and fascist states during times of military conflict."

David Wilkins

"In this systematic survey, Barbara McCloskey provides a panoramic overview of wartime artistic efforts in eight European and Asian countries and the United States and simultaneously offers more than thirty biographies of both famous and little-known artists who produced 'war art.' She includes both artists who resisted totalitarian regimes and those who collaborated with and exalted dictators and repressive military leaders as she explores the complex intersection between art and propaganda that determined artistic developments in many countries during this unique historical moment. By incorporating a summary of the avant-garde developments that characterized each nation's artistic history before the outbreak of war in 1939, she sets her story within the context of the history of modernism and highlights the conflict experienced by artists and governments as they tried to determine whether traditional, naturalistic modes or avant-garde developments could best serve a nation at war."

Sabine Eckmann

"[This] concisely written and well-structured historical account of art before and during World War II fills an important gap within available histories of modern art. McCloskey not only convincingly demonstrates that the production of art during these violent times is inseparable from the agendas of political systems, dictatorships and the democracies alike, but also stresses the coexistence of traditional, often regionally informed artistic endeavors, and progressive styles.... Their biographies attest to the complexity of the politicization of aesthetics. Her book shouldn't be missed by anyone interested in the intersection of art and politics."

Editorial Reviews

[A]n excellent, thought-provoking art history. Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty researchers; general readers.” —Choice

“[E]xplores the work of representative artists within the political and social contexts of their times….[t]he writing vividly demonstrates the impact of war on art. Additional aids to students include a brief timeline and selective bibliographies for art in each country. This survey makes a useful addition to art history collections.” —Lawrence Looks At Books

“[T]he first global survey of art during the war, and gathers biographies of such artists along with discussions of war-era art trends around the world. Of particular note are discussions which allow readers to compare not only artists' experiences of war in different countries, but their different responses to their experiences, from support of war efforts to criticism. Add discussions of the influence of artists' productions on war and you have an intriguing survey which goes beyond the art world.” —MBR Bookwatch

“[P]resents a survey of WWII artists from most of the regions involved in combat.” —Reference & Research Book News/Art Book News Annual

From the Publisher