by Robin Updike
Seattle Times Art Critic
November 28, 1996

It has been 60 years since the Spanish Civil War signaled the opening rounds of World War II and the rise of fascism in Europe. And to young Americans for whom WWII and even Vietnam are ancient history, the significance of a decades-old civil war in a far-off European nation likely has little resonance.

Yet to a generation of American liberals who came of age in the 1930s, and to students of international politics ever since, the Spanish Civil War was a bellwether event in the fight against oppression. Though Spaniards voted a democratically elected republican government into power in early 1936, right-wing strongman General Francisco Franco rallied the military and overthrew the government. During the course of the bloody, three-year war, Franco was supported by Hitler and Mussolini.

England, France and the U.S. did not intervene. Yet volunteers came from all over the world to support the Spanish Republic. From the U.S. came 2,800 volunteers -- they called themselves the Abraham Lincoln Brigade -- and numerous writers and photographers. Ernest Hemingway, Lillian Hellman, Langston Hughes and photographer Robert Capa documented the war in newspaper accounts, novels and photographs. Much of the work they did during this period, such as Capa's famous photograph of a Republican volunteer falling to the earth after being fatally shot, have become a part of the canon of war journalism.

But to the Spaniards and international volunteers who lived through the tragic years, the story of the war was chronicled partly in a rich legacy of posters. In a country where many peasants were illiterate, posters were an effective way to spread information about the war and rally people for specific causes, such as keeping soldiers sober during their leaves of absence and encouraging women to join the front as fighters.

A new show at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery at the University of Washington offers a rare chance to see some of the original posters. The 34 posters on display were brought or sent home by American volunteers, and the traveling show has been organized by the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives at Brandeis University. Also on display are 30 photographs, including a print of Capa's iconic image.

Despite their pragmatic intentions, many of the posters are works of art. Created in a variety of graphic styles ranging from surrealism, expressionism and social realism, it's easy to see why the posters were powerful propaganda. In one, a muscular, shirtless worker strides across an outline of the Spanish nation and thrusts his bayonet into the belly of a monster dressed in a top hat and fine suit -- the visual shorthand for the right-wing military/industrial complex. The poster reads, "The Iron Column -- Peasant, the Revolution Gave You the Land." Even for illiterate peasants, the message was clear: Fight oppression now or loose [sic] your livelihood.

In another poster that looks surprisingly like something you might find today in an underground "zine," a surreal little humanoid with wings and seven mouths seems to be whispering secrets. The poster warns people against spreading rumors "whose purpose is to destroy our morale and unity."

Though the posters are appealing as art, the photographs are compelling for their humanity. Aside from a few by Capa, most are amateur shots of American volunteers lined up for the camera. Even in the 60-year old snapshots it's impossible to miss the idealism of the young men and women. As with all war photos, you wonder which ones came back.

Reprinted with permission