The Meaning of Geneva, Peace Cannot Live Where Greed Capital Exists! 1932

This stark photomontage was made by John Heartfield, though the date of its making is not listed. It shows a dove impaled on a bayonet in front of the League of Nations building. I am trying to imagine what Heartfield was thinking when he made this—the horror of the rise of fascism, and the betrayal of the dream of peace in Europe. It’s so bleak, and this work is a cry of despair, but also a warning. He’s using such simple imagery—the dove, the bayonet, the swastika—but they come together to make a really powerful statement. It’s a kind of brutal poetry. I’m struck by the way he’s taken the tools of propaganda and turned them against themselves, like he’s saying, "I can play this game too."