Life behind the Iron Curtain and the posters of the DDR
Standing at the edge of the Soviet Empire, and at the frontline of the Iron Curtain, East Germany was birthed in the wake of an all-consuming World War and spent much of its life at the centre of an equally all-consuming world power struggle (the Cold War).
With that in mind, it seems hard to believe that life could continue as normal for the approx. 17 million Germans who found themselves living in this state.
But, as the posters we share here indicate, life did indeed go on. The posters here show that – in amongst all the obvious communist propaganda posters – art, films, festivals and exhibitions continued to take place in East Germany, even if they were sanctioned by the State.
Here are 10 posters which give an insight into the East German era:
Freedom Freedom - J. Fribahi 1970
An important – and frequently overlooked – element of Soviet socialism was the idea that, by its very nature, it eventually would lead to a perpetually peaceful society worldwide. Many of the strictest Soviet ideologues didn’t believe themselves to be colonists or occupiers – they believed that they were simply spreading the peaceful ideals of socialism, which would naturally flower once the populace grasped them. (The fact that they had tanks and guns and armies at their disposal was neither here nor there, of course…)
This is the context of 1970s East Germany, where posters such as J Fribahi’s ‘Freedom Freedom’ worked effectively as propaganda.
The poster features concentric circles – like water ripples spreading outwards – with a dove (the universal symbol for peace) taking shape over the circles. The text translates as ‘The Peace The Freedom’.
The message inferred is: Soviet ideals spread peace and freedom.
Freedom Freedom – J. Fribahi
1. Mai 1953 – Artist Unknown
1. Mai 1953 - Artist Unknown 1953
A poster designed in a typical Soviet realism style, ‘1. Mai 1953’ centres on two joyous activists who are celebrating International Worker’s Day (an important day on the Soviet calendar).
The imagery is heavy-handed, with Stalin, Lenin, Marx and Engels all depicted in the background, alongside German and Soviet flags. It’s also worth noting that by June 1953 – a mere month after this poster was distributed – East Germans were holding an Uprising against the Soviet influence in the country. This surely adds a certain irony to the idealism of this poster.
My Wife Inge & my Mistress Schmidt - V. Soloviev 1985
Soloviev’s poster was the accompaniment to the 1985 film of the same name, which – as the name suggests – concerned a love triangle.
The poster is stunning and memorable in its composition. Look at how your eyes are drawn down vertically, as the faces meld together. You can feel the longing and sensuality of each of the three characters.
My Wife Inge & my Mistress Schmidt – V. Soloviev
Recognise what holds the world together at its core FDJ – Ri
Recognise what holds the world together at its core FDJ - Ri 1955
A poster created for the Free German Youth (FDJ), containing a quote from Faust, a play written by the German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
With the vial, the microscope, the atomical imagery, and the idealistic depiction of a young, studious boy, we get a glimpse at how important East Germany viewed scientific developments. This was a time when the Space Race was heating up, and nuclear armament continued apace. The need for science was political, as well as merely educational.
Handcrafts - Walter Traus 1970
German artist Walter Traus favoured imagery which contained anthropomorphic elements, but which also resembled solid objects, meaning that he was an appropriate artist for designed a poster that promoted a handicraft event.
Traus’ many brilliant works are clear evidence that innovative art did indeed continue to thrive and have an outlet in East Germany, even amidst the overwhelming repressiveness of the State.
Handcrafts – Walter Traus
The Poster – Helmut Brade
The Poster - Helmut Brade 1978
Featuring an incredibly detailed pointillist style, overridden by the almost comical image of a simplistically rendered chicken, Helmut Brade’s ‘The Poster’ is intentionally absurdist.
The poster was used to promote an art exhibition in Halle, which explains why Brade offers us such a provocative image.
The beauty of it is in the small details, though. Look at the board on the lefthand side of the image; not only does it share the names of some of the artists who will be displayed at the exhibition, but it also cleverly situates the viewer within a gallery or exhibition hall, so that they can feel like they’re already staring at an artwork.
The Dance Palace - Amters 1987
While little factual information can be found on this poster, it is useful in including due to the simple fact that it shows how the hammer – an abiding communist symbol – was still an important and emotive emblem even in 1987.
Just two years before the Berlin Wall collapsed, this poster seems to belie the undercurrent of change that was already underway at the time.
The Dance Palace – Amters
Tierpark Berlin – Steiff
Tierpark Berlin - Steiff 1972
First opened in 1955, the Tierpark Zoo is one of East Berlin’s greatest attractions, and still brings over a million visitors each year right up to the present day.
Stieff’s poster doesn’t waste time with needless obscurity. Instead, he depicts the elephant – the zoo’s biggest selling point – front and centre, paying particular attention to the animal’s penetrating eyes, grey hues, strong tusk, and prideful strut.
For added context, there was an implied competitive element involved in promoting Tierpark Zoo – it was one of two major Zoos in the city, with the other being the far more popular Berlin Zoological Garden, located just over the Wall in West Berlin…
New Triumph of the UDSSR - DSF (Society for German–Soviet Friendship) 1965
A poster designed in a typical Soviet realism style, ‘1. Mai 1953’ centres on two joyous activists who are celebrating International Worker’s Day (an important day on the Soviet calendar).
The imagery is heavy-handed, with Stalin, Lenin, Marx and Engels all depicted in the background, alongside German and Soviet flags. It’s also worth noting that by June 1953 – a mere month after this poster was distributed – East Germans were holding an Uprising against the Soviet influence in the country. This surely adds a certain irony to the idealism of this poster.
New Triumph of the UDSSR – DSF (Society for German–Soviet Friendship)
Natural Gas is Coming – Walter Traus
Natural Gas is Coming - Walter Traus 1970
Walter Traus, again, showing why he was one of the most popular poster artists of the East German era. This design was used to inform the public that natural gas infrastructure was being introduced in the country.
The beauty of Traus’ posters is that, most of the time, his straightforward imagery is as simple to understand as road or safety signage, meaning that it’s easy for a passing viewer to understand its message.
But beyond that, he also has an incisive, innovative, minimal style.
East German poster art defined an era that we’re still trying to understand
Historians have argued that East Germany was as close to a fully totalitarian state as can be imagined – with many of the State’s decisions being made by a small number of centralised figures.
Due to that fact, we’re still trying to fully understand with how its political, cultural, and social apparatus operated on both a day-to-day and long-term basis.
Posters, which by their very nature are made for public consumption, give us a fascinating insight into what was propagated, approved, or merely tolerated by the State – as well as what artists thought their audience would find visually interesting.
For the aesthetes of today, East German posters provide a window into a truly unique era of art history.
