Still Again and Again 1934

This is a book cover by John Heartfield, and as with much of his work, it was assembled through photomontage, a technique of cutting and pasting that was very popular in the interwar period, particularly amongst artists of the Dada and Constructivist movements. Here, Heartfield creates an image of a hyena in a top hat, sporting a medal of honor. The brute force of the beast is cleverly juxtaposed with symbols of wealth, status, and power. Photomontage was perfectly suited to the political climate of the time. By appropriating images and repurposing them, artists like Heartfield could quickly create provocative statements on social issues and political events. The act of physically cutting and pasting fragments together mirrors the fracturing of society and the clash of ideologies. It is a visual language born of upheaval, where the handmade collides with mass-produced imagery, questioning traditional notions of authorship and originality. Ultimately, Heartfield's work reminds us that artistic expression is not just about the final image, but also the process and the context in which it was made.