Europa zuivert het oosten Possibly 1941 - 1946

This is an article titled "Europa zuivert het oosten," or "Europe cleanses the East," likely printed in 1941 by Anton Adriaan Mussert. It's a stark reminder of how everyday materials like paper and ink could be mobilized for propaganda. Consider the sheer quantity of newsprint produced during this period. The relentless churning of printing presses, each sheet a vehicle for ideology, speaks volumes about the industrialization of information. Every stage of this newspaper production, from the milling of wood pulp to the distribution of the final product, relied on systems of labor and logistics inextricably linked to the political climate of the time. This isn't just an artifact; it's a document of material culture, where the very substance of the object—its texture, its disposability—contributes to its meaning. Even the act of preserving it in a museum setting adds another layer of interpretation, transforming a piece of ephemeral propaganda into a historical artifact. The original intention and function of the artwork are transformed once the piece becomes part of art history.