nstitutions. But Heartfield and Grosz believed that the Dadaists discovered, but did not explore the potential of art as a revolutionary tool in the class struggle. Thus, they set out to achieve one of the greatest tasks of art- to make the invisible visible. Heartfield and Grosz did so by understanding the class struggle in society (Brecht, 11).On December 31, 1918, Heartfield made the biggest political decision of his life, which would ultimately be reflected in his artwork. He joined the New Communist Party. His works became an embodiment of Communist policy. He became a master of Vladimir Lenin's conception of art. He believed that art should provide revelations of the hidden truths in society. This is exactly what Heartfield did. His works began to foretell that which was going to happen. They served as a warning to prevent that, which, if not prevented, would occur. Through the juxtaposition of two known images, often-antithetical images, Heartfield gave rise to a new meaning, a revelation of an unseen truth. In a sense, art creates a series of secondary realities. They are not actual reality but instead a representation of reality. In Heartfield's photomontages, these constructed secondary realities reveal the true realities to which they are secondary (Brecht, 12). Institutions such as the government often jade these true realities. But, it is here that the power of Heartfield's images shines through. His montages clearly showed the truth in a way that everyone could understand. It was a cynical satire of the times and Heartfield wanted everyone to know something that has begun to lose its place in today's media, the truth. Thus, began the politically motivated photomontage career of John Heartfield.In 1929, Heartfield's brother, Wieland, published the photomontage, How One Wages War with a Hammer, in his school journal turned Socialist publication. The photomontage shows Heartfield cutting the head off of Ger...
