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Representing the Real in the Aesthetics of Conflict

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Propaganda and Hogarth's Line of Beauty in the First World War

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Abstract

Representing the Real in the Aesthetics of Conflict focusses upon the aesthetics of the First World War, particularly Modernist concepts which established new ways for its portrayal by artists including Paul Nash and C.R.W. Nevinson. Comparison is made between the propaganda poster and the counter-propagandist response of soldier-artists: Hogarth’s line of beauty is examined for its function as a synchronic object not only indicative of literal movement but also representative of the metaphoric value that lies in the line’s ability to pictorially assist in conveying competing constructions of a real. This is ascertained via comparison and contrast of recruitment posters with artwork borne from the trenches, alongside examination of how empathetic involvement is a requirement in the effective collaboration between propagandist and propagandee.

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Notes

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    Georgina Williams

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Williams, G. (2016). Representing the Real in the Aesthetics of Conflict. In: Propaganda and Hogarth's Line of Beauty in the First World War. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57194-6_5

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