04:30 pm
The Axis of Photoshop: North Korea Goes for the Gold
Okay, not technically photoshop, but its Darwinian ancestor: the propaganda poster.
You gotta love the North Koreans. They’re not only the kings of robotic precision and the heroes of Zhang Yimou, but also gold medalists in over-the-top cheesy propaganda. You just don’t find many good agitprop posters anymore, so I appreciate their careful conservation of the art form.
The California Literary Review has put together a small collection of some of the best worst examples.
My initial reaction? I wouldn’t want the drugs these guys are taking.
“Let’s Drive Out the Imperialists and Reunite the Fatherland!”
(Note the cross on one soldier and Nazi-era cap on the other.)
“Wicked Man”
(Sounds like the name of a good Warren Zevon tune.)
“Let’s extensively raise goats in all families!”
(Really. Trust me. I mean why would I photoshop a goat?)
“Though the dog barks, the procession moves on!”
(Sounds like a Zen koan, not North Korean propaganda.)
“When provoking a war of aggression, we will hit back, beginning with the US!”
(Winner of the Noam Chomsky prize for 9/11 sensitivity.)
And now my favorite. I’m thinking of using it for my screen-saver:
“Do not forget the US imperialist wolves!”
Ah yes, the ol’ dropping the baby down the well trope. Talk about an overused propaganda cliché — the British had German soldiers dropping babies down wells over ninety years ago. Come on, Kim Jong “Licensed to” Il, you don’t need to borrow from imperialist propaganda to remain on top!
I do have one question, though. How did they get Telly Savalas to pose for the painting? The soldier looks like Telly in The Dirty Dozen, down to the half crazed look. Think I’m kidding? Just take a look:
One other bit of art criticism: if you’re going to drop a baby down the well, wouldn’t it make more sense to point your machine gun at the baby?
Hat tip: Passport
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