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Von Bethmann-Hollweg and Truth
Raemaekers, Louis, 1916, Chromolithograph
Von Bethmann-Hollweg and Truth
Von Bethmann-Hollweg and Truth
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Item no
32954
Title
Von Bethmann-Hollweg and Truth
Description
"Truth is always straightforward. - Sophocles"
Artist / maker
Raemaekers, Louis
Date
1916
Size
34.5 cm x 25.9 cm
Type
Chromolithograph
Location
Art and Design Library
Copyright
Louis Raemaekaers' drawings are reproduced by kind permission of the
Louis Raemaekers Foundation
.
In this caricature of German leadership, Raemaekers depicts German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg. An allegory of Truth as a nude woman presents him with his own reflection, causing his legs to twist in a comical knot. The halo surrounding her head with the phrase 'J'accuse' refers to Emile Zola's 1898 open letter to the French president, accusing him of prejudice and injustice. In the letter, Zola denounced the French government for unfairly convicting Alfred Dreyfus of treason. By juxtaposing this historical text with his comical image of Bethmann-Hollweg, Raemaekers accuses the German government of unjustly condemning innocents.
The
Louis Raemaekers Foundation
have published a book of his works entitled, 'Louis Raemaekers - with pen and pencil as a weapon'.
Exhibitions with this item
Louis Raemaekers and World War One
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