Von Bethmann-Hollweg and Truth

Category

Library Item

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'.

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Related subjects

Clothing and dress > Garments > Uniforms

Events > Wars > World wars

Furnishings > Ornamentation > Mirrors

People > Adults > Women

People > Politics and government > Prime Ministers