“Hardly anybody nowadays will deny
that Heartfield was a great artist – although
I think there are only a few who could say why.
That has always been a very difficult question.
The fact that John Heartfield put all of his skill,
based upon the great European tradition, in the
service of daily politics isn’t a difficult
question, it’s an interesting one. At a
particular historical moment, there was for him
no cause more important than socialism. After
he realized this, the objective for him was easy –
but hard to make. […] Seen from a distance,
Heartfield was a simple person; at close range,
a complicated person – or better still – a person
with an immense span. He was a wise man and
a child. An awful, hairsplitting pedant and a very
successful artist. He was someone who loved
and someone who hated. […] The world and
our lives seem very complicated. Heartfield
made them transparent. His brother lent him a
hand. His wife made it possible […]”