Back the Attack with War Bonds 1943

Curator: This drawing, made with charcoal in 1943 by Charles Alston, is entitled "Back the Attack with War Bonds". Editor: My first impression is one of high contrast and looming threat mixed with absurdity. The caricatured figures strike a strange balance between fear and farce. Curator: Indeed, Alston’s composition certainly creates a dynamic tension. Note the converging lines that dominate the upper left, representing "First, Second, and Third War Loan Drives," shaped ominously like descending missiles, countered by the relatively static embrace of the two figures. How do you interpret their embrace? Editor: I see it as a forced alliance. We have what appears to be a hapless citizen, maybe representing a small business owner, clinging to a soldier for protection, perhaps overwhelmed by the economic pressure of war bonds and taxes and generally a call for funds in order to provide funding to all of the War Loan Drives during World War 2. The one person seems to be falling away to ruin within some type of sewer of financial difficulty. The figures' stylized rendering borders on caricature, adding to the sense of unease and social critique, perhaps aimed at how everyday people were treated and pressed to assist in the war. Curator: The simplification of form contributes significantly to the overall impact. Look at the rendering of the rocks and figures. They’re built with confident, expressive strokes. This allows Alston to communicate effectively, even viscerally. The shading is also interesting here to note because, based on where the "missiles" appear to be aimed to destroy, the foreground shows a bit of overconfidence with their lack of fear for impact, and overall shows some great hope on a bed of broken rubble of ruin on where they are climbing and standing. It lends a raw and urgent quality. Editor: Absolutely, and it's important to remember that this image circulated as a poster, aiming to influence public opinion during a time of crisis. The cartoonish approach would’ve been intentionally appealing to a broad audience, trying to persuade through emotion, by making sure to evoke pity and sadness so others may be coerced into paying for these war bonds to bring glory. Curator: By using such graphic immediacy, Alston creates a work of propaganda, and also a document rife with socio-historical insight. This poster is not merely a call to buy bonds, but also a visual record of the complex relationship between citizens, soldiers, and the pervasive force of war. Editor: Examining Alston’s stark aesthetic alongside the poster's historical context offers an interesting lens for viewing art's multifaceted role within a nation at war. Curator: Agreed, and considering the sharp, decisive lines in the charcoal really help underscore the immediate and critical nature of its plea.