Avant-Garde Japanese Postcards
Modernizing Propaganda:
Avant-Garde Postcards
One of the most stunning revelations of the picture postcards that the Japanese produced en masse is how extraordinarily modern and even avant-garde many of them were. Japans great tradition of exquisite graphic craftsmanship obviously is reflected herebut so also is the degree to which aesthetic sensibility had been modernized, Westernized, and commercialized in ways unimagined only a decade or so earlier.
Explosions, hot-air military observation balloons, Russian and Japanese war flags, enemy gunboats, even sinking warships and landmines became transformed into emblems of beauty, modernity, and cutting-edge creativity. And allin this casefor a popular audience and a practical purpose. The blank spaces on most graphicsoften aesthetically attractive in themselveswere where messages were written. In some cases, the personal message was handwritten right over the image.
Avant-Garde Postcards
One of the most stunning revelations of the picture postcards that the Japanese produced en masse is how extraordinarily modern and even avant-garde many of them were. Japans great tradition of exquisite graphic craftsmanship obviously is reflected herebut so also is the degree to which aesthetic sensibility had been modernized, Westernized, and commercialized in ways unimagined only a decade or so earlier.
Explosions, hot-air military observation balloons, Russian and Japanese war flags, enemy gunboats, even sinking warships and landmines became transformed into emblems of beauty, modernity, and cutting-edge creativity. And allin this casefor a popular audience and a practical purpose. The blank spaces on most graphicsoften aesthetically attractive in themselveswere where messages were written. In some cases, the personal message was handwritten right over the image.
Images from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection of
Japanese Postcards at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Asia Rising by John W. Dower
Japanese Postcards at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Asia Rising by John W. Dower
See the full gallery on posterous
Posted via email from Reckon | Comment »
Avant-Garde Japanese Postcards
Modernizing Propaganda:
Avant-Garde Postcards
One of the most stunning revelations of the picture postcards that the Japanese produced en masse is how extraordinarily modern and even avant-garde many of them were. Japans great tradition of exquisite graphic craftsmanship obviously is reflected herebut so also is the degree to which aesthetic sensibility had been modernized, Westernized, and commercialized in ways unimagined only a decade or so earlier.
Explosions, hot-air military observation balloons, Russian and Japanese war flags, enemy gunboats, even sinking warships and landmines became transformed into emblems of beauty, modernity, and cutting-edge creativity. And allin this casefor a popular audience and a practical purpose. The blank spaces on most graphicsoften aesthetically attractive in themselveswere where messages were written. In some cases, the personal message was handwritten right over the image.
Avant-Garde Postcards
One of the most stunning revelations of the picture postcards that the Japanese produced en masse is how extraordinarily modern and even avant-garde many of them were. Japans great tradition of exquisite graphic craftsmanship obviously is reflected herebut so also is the degree to which aesthetic sensibility had been modernized, Westernized, and commercialized in ways unimagined only a decade or so earlier.
Explosions, hot-air military observation balloons, Russian and Japanese war flags, enemy gunboats, even sinking warships and landmines became transformed into emblems of beauty, modernity, and cutting-edge creativity. And allin this casefor a popular audience and a practical purpose. The blank spaces on most graphicsoften aesthetically attractive in themselveswere where messages were written. In some cases, the personal message was handwritten right over the image.
Images from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection of
Japanese Postcards at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Asia Rising by John W. Dower
Japanese Postcards at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Asia Rising by John W. Dower
See the full gallery on posterous
Posted via email from Reckon | Comment »
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