Geoles-Allemands-sketch 

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen made this sketch showing German Prisoners of War in either the late 19th or early 20th century. Looking at this sketch, we immediately get a sense of the social context surrounding its creation. France and Germany have been at war several times in the past centuries. The way Steinlen has depicted the prisoners raises questions about the politics of imagery during times of conflict. The visual codes employed, such as the soldiers holding rifles and the weary expressions on the faces of the prisoners, all contribute to the construction of a narrative that could be interpreted in different ways depending on one's own political standpoint. To understand the meaning of art like this, we rely on historical research to uncover the intentions of the artist, the prevailing attitudes of the time, and the institutional frameworks that shaped artistic production. The meaning of art is contingent on the social and institutional context in which it is created and received.