History Repeating
During our recent visit to New York City, we visited the new-to-us Poster House Museum. This little gem hosted three very impressive and well-explained exhibits of gorgeous old posters. The movie posters were interesting and the national park posters entertaining. The Italian posters were as chilling as they were graphically striking.
That exhibit demonstrated how the design and symbolism of posters, for everything from air travel to food, aided the rise of fascism in pre-World War Two Italy, under Benito Mussolini. It started as a cult of personality, ostensibly to promote Italian pride, but soon became oppressive.
One Mussolini quote featured on the gallery wall explained how he gained and kept power. It said “The hard part is to keep people always at the window because of the spectacle you put on for them, and you must do this for years.” A lesson for today, if we care to learn from history: his fascist buddy Hitler ended up forcing him to choose (the wrong side) in WWII. Italy suffered heavy damage and its economy was set back by decades.
On a brighter note, there were Italians who objected to fascism and welcomed liberation by Allied soldiers. Many of those American, Canadian, British and Australian soldiers died on the D-Day beaches, as they launched a massive surprise attack to rescue Europe from fascism. Those who didn’t storm the beaches parachuted into Nazi-flooded fields carrying heavy packs, many drowning. This painting shows some of those trenches and fields of D-Day, preserved now in honor of their sacrifices.
San, it is indeed very dangerous – if Hitler didn’t teach us that, I don’t know what will. Meanwhile, thanks for your kind words about my painting!
Jerry, you’re right that many don’t realize the Allied forces had both northern (D-Day) and southern (Italy) fronts to squeeze Hitler and his fascists. I didn’t know your dad was OSS – very impressive! Thanks for sharing that.
Cult of personality is dangerous. And the sweep of your painting captures that sense of repetition, of history repeating in all its sadness.
Hi Beth. In regard to your last paragraph, there was a lot of Allied fighting in Italy but it hasn’t received the attention that D-Day and the battles in France and Belgium got. My father was a member of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) and participated in the invasion of Sicily. The US Army fought its way north from Sicily as it gained territory. There was a lot of action in the country.
OMG, Jonathan! I had no idea that was how he hurt his leg. Nobody ever told me, either. Thanks for your kind words about the painting, and for sharing this story!
Precisely what I thought when viewing that exhibit, Robyn. Hence the saying “those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
The Russian propaganda posters of the time evoke the same ethos – only Communism instead of Fascism… Your painting is amazing. Both the story, but even without the story, the painting by itself evokes the lost souls and loneliness of the time. It really makes me think of Carl’s experience over here. He never would talk to me about it – not even after a few scotches… but amongst the plethora of papers I inherited I found a New Haven Register story about his experiences at the Battle of the Bulge. I didn’t know that he was a radio operator! Evidently, the radio operator in the tank he was walking behind (as cover from the snipers) stuck his head out of the hatch and was shot and killed. Dad dove in to take over, head first, which is how his last body part in – his leg was – was shot at and wounded…
A very important statement regarding a political movement, which we are seeing repeat with Trump.