Aixafem el feixisme
Smash Fascism
- Collection
- Description
-
In this poster, a foot clad in an espardenya, the Catalan sandal-is poised to stamp on a concrete swastika, a symbol of Fascism. The message is clear: although the Spanish worker appears vulnerable, he possesses the necessary strength to defeat the enemy. The cobblestone background evokes the streets of Barcelona where, in the first days of the conflict, the people's militias successfully resisted the military insurrectionists' attempt to take control of the city. This was regarded as a first blow against Fascism. While the poster recognizes this-observe the cracks already evident in the swastika-it now urges the worker to continue the struggle and "smash" the enemy completely.
Although often attributed to Pere Catalá Roca, this poster is in fact the work of that artist's father, Pere Catalá-Pic (1889-1971). Catalá-Pic, an avant-garde photographer, experimented with photomontage techniques before the war and wrote a number of essays on the use of photography in propaganda. During the war he took an active role in the Catalan government's propaganda department (Comisaria de Propaganda), which was established on October 6, 1936. The Australian surrealist poet, Mary Low, recalled seeing Catalá-Pic's poster while in Barcelona in 1936. She wrote: "We stood outside the columned portico, in front of us a poster flapped in the rain-a foot in a Catalan sandal crushing a swastika with negligent, unquestioned strength."Photographic image of a sandaled foot stomping a cracked swatiska on a stone floor or road
- Creation Date
- between 1936 and 1939
- Creators
- Physical Description
-
1 print (poster) : b&w ; 100 x 70 cm
- Geographics
- Genres
- Topics
Format
View formats within this collection
- Identifier
-
Mms: 991000015699706535
- Related Resource
Online exhibit
- Classification
-
DP269.15.C38 1936
- Publication
-
Catalonia, Spain, Editat per la Comissaria de Propaganda de la Generalitat de Catalunya (sp)
- Copyright
-
Unknown
Use: This work is available from the UC San Diego Library. This digital copy of the work is intended to support research, teaching, and private study.
Constraint(s) on Use: This work may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Use of this work beyond that allowed by "fair use" requires written permission of the copyright holder(s). Responsibility for obtaining permissions and any use and distribution of this work rests exclusively with the user and not the UC San Diego Library. Inquiries can be made to the UC San Diego Library program having custody of the work.
- Digital Object Made Available By
-
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego, La Jolla, 92093-0175 (https://lib.ucsd.edu/sca)
- Last Modified
2024-07-20