Weg met den Oorlog c. 1918 - 1919

Editor: We’re looking at "Weg met den Oorlog," or "Away with War," a poster, a print on paper and textile from around 1918-1919, credited to the Committee for Obtaining Women in the Administration of City and Country. It looks so old-fashioned. I feel this yearning for peace. The text is prominent. It is intense. What do you see in this piece? Curator: You know, this poster throws me back to a time when words were truly weapons, hurled onto the page with raw emotion. Can you see how the Art Nouveau style kind of hugs the fury? Like nature holding its breath. It makes me think: Did the person writing this down actually believe words could stop tanks? Or was this poster just catharsis in disguise? It’s got a bit of poetry to it. It mentions folksongs, new songs for the moment. It makes me feel that some things just don't change. Editor: I didn't pick up on the Art Nouveau at first, with all the text filling up the page. So it was intended as a message of peace but also maybe just a way to work through the anxieties? I can read a bit of Dutch… *Nieuw Volkslied*…New folk song. Curator: Absolutely, and a vital form of expression, wouldn't you agree? After all, what better way to ignite the hearts of ordinary folk than by giving them a new song for peace? Consider that each word, each flourish of the script, was composed deliberately. You get that sense of passion too. Think about them then—artists of all sorts joining to use imagery, but poetry especially as resistance. To say, no, not again! Editor: I guess I just wasn’t looking at it that way. That actually adds more meaning for me. Thanks! Curator: It does for me, too, in thinking about this again with fresh eyes. The poster feels somehow lighter now.