The 20th century was defined by warfare: two World Wars which, with a break for recession, recovery and re-arming, culminated in the dropping of the first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima on August 8th 1945.
This was followed by the ‘Cold War’, a nuclear standoff between USSR and the USA, and smaller wars wherever one side, or the other, overstepped the ‘demarcation line’ of geo-political interest, i.e in Korea, Vietnam. Cuba, Latin America, Afghanistan, the ‘free-for-all grapple’ for post-colonial Africa, and a revolution in China). During the early 20th century the graphic arts came to the fore as an important messenger of commerce, policy and ideology. Posters, magazines/newspapers, photos and film became the propaganda ‘weapons of choice’ for opposing forces of all kinds.
This was followed by the ‘Cold War’, a nuclear standoff between USSR and the USA, and smaller wars wherever one side, or the other, overstepped the ‘demarcation line’ of geo-political interest, i.e in Korea, Vietnam. Cuba, Latin America, Afghanistan, the ‘free-for-all grapple’ for post-colonial Africa, and a revolution in China). During the early 20th century the graphic arts came to the fore as an important messenger of commerce, policy and ideology. Posters, magazines/newspapers, photos and film became the propaganda ‘weapons of choice’ for opposing forces of all kinds.