Het Leven Possibly 1936 - 1939

This is Het Leven, a magazine cover by Erich Salomon; made in 1936. Looking at this cover, I imagine the artist carefully placing each letter, each line, trying to catch your eye. It’s interesting how a simple design can tell such a big story. The bold title, the royal crests – it all comes together to announce something important. I think about what it must have been like to design a cover that needed to be eye-catching but also respectful, informative, and celebratory. The whole piece feels like a conversation, echoing the work of artists like Hannah Höch. It's about mixing the everyday with the formal, the personal with the public. Ultimately, it reminds me that as artists we are always talking to each other, riffing on ideas and making something new from something old. There's a real beauty in that ongoing exchange.