Teachers Lesson Plans
Compare the different techniques as used by John Heartfield in his photograph of Adolf Hitler and Margaret Watkins The Kitchen Sink. How appropriate are these techniques in conveying the message?
Watkins' still life was revolutionary for its time. It was unusual for a work of art to focus on domestic household labour.
Her composition is equally innovative: the glass bottles, kettle, spout, and tap repeat a rhythm of circular and tubular shapes that alternately cast shadows or reflect light, creating an abstract pattern of subtle greys. Watkins was able to get these effects by using palladium printing paper which allowed her to produce a wide range of soft greys, in comparison with the harder contrasts of the silver print.
Heartfield on the other hand explores the technique of photo-montage. This technique allowed him to create a satirical image by combining different photographs: a portrait of Hitler, an X-ray of a body, a vertebral column of gold coins, and the Nazi party insignia (the swastika) placed over Hitler's heart. The X-ray, a medical photograph that reveals what is invisible, is transformed into a metaphor: it exposes Hitler's hidden interest in financial power, which was seen by the communists as being contradictory to his pro-working class speeches.
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A positive image composed of silver particles held in a binder layer of gelatin on paper. This technique was used to make contact prints and enlargements from negatives from the late 1870s. Gelatin silver enlarging papers continue to be widely used for back-and -white photographs today.