Joseph Vogel's piece in The Volunteer impressed me. The drawing shows a soldier with an exaggerated chest holding a gun. The chaos of the painting reflects the insanity of war. The abstract aspects leave room for our imaginations to add to the work. Vogel's work is currently displayed at the MET, the Smithsonian, and other notable museums. It is hard to imagine an artist volunteering to fight in a war, but, as Dr. Fernandez said, it shows his inspiring commitment to the cause of defeating fascism.
Three drawing by Mildred Rackley show three different dancing scenes from the US and Spain. I wonder if drawing helped artists confirm their own existences just as photography helped soldiers convince themselves and their families back home that they were still alive.
Edwin Rolfe's story presents a haunting image of the damage caused by McCarthyism and anti-Communism. An aspiring poet before the war, he later attempted to work in the film industry but was blacklisted in 1947 and twice named as a Communist during the Hollywood hearing of 1951. He was subpoenaed in 1952, but did not appear. All in all, the communist label and McCarthy harrassment ended his film career. The illogical nature of condemning a man who volunteered to defend the Spanish Republic, and later fought in World War II, baffles me.
As I read about more and more artists leaving the US or losing their jobs as a result of the Red Scare, I wonder how much US art was lost forever during the period. I am sure that unemployment prevented artists from getting the materials they needed to paint, draw or even compose music, and producing art often came after finding food, shelter and a little money. The artistic losses sustained during the anti-Communist attacks can never be redeemed.
I love this quote at the end of the Volunteer's issue:
"The fascists won the battles, but we had the good songs."
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