Teachers’ notes Help is better than Sympathy: Frank Brangwyn and the First World War © David Brangwyn, William Morris Gallery 1 Contents page a) How to use this learning resource 3 b) Brangwyn and the First World War 5 c) An overview of First World War propaganda posters 6 d) Brangwyn’s artistic processes 8 e) Further reading and links 9 f) Teaching suggestions: Brangwyn’s work as historical evidence 10 g) Creating Your Own Protest Poster Inspired by Frank Brangwyn: An art & design project case study 13 i) Introduction 13 ii) Project lesson plan 14 iii) Extending the project with older students: creating a digital design 17 h) Acknowledgements 19 2 a) How to use this learning resource Who is it for? This resource has been written for Key Stage 3 and 4 teachers; although it can of course be adapted for younger or older students. Images to be used with younger students should be selected with care, as Frank Brangwyn’s depictions of war were at times brutal. What does the resource contain? There are five parts to this resource, which can all be downloaded from the learning section of the William Morris Gallery website. The five parts are: 1. Frank Brangwyn and the First World War: teachers’ notes The document you are currently reading! It provides brief background information about Frank Brangwyn, First World War propaganda and Brangwyn’s artistic practice, and teaching suggestions. The notes also include a full lesson plan for a Creating Your Own Protest Poster graphic design project, developed from artist-led workshop inspired by Brangwyn. Resources and suggestions for running similar activities in the classroom are also included 2. Image bank PowerPoint A selection of Frank Brangywn’s First World War art work and photographs of Belgian refugees in a PowerPoint. Additional information about some of the images is included in the notes section of the slides. These images can be shown on the interactive whiteboard at school. 3. Creating your own Protest Poster PowerPoint presentation A slide show to be used with the graphic design case study 4. Protest poster project resources: slogans A PDF of slogans that can be printed and cut up to use at school. For further information about using these slogans, see the graphic design case study. 5. Graphic design case study photos A PowerPoint presentation of photos of students working on the graphic design case study project. History teachers may find the teaching suggestions included in section d of this teachers pack useful. They focus on approaches to Brangwyn’s work as historical evidence and provide strategies for examining propaganda and using photographs for comparison. Art and design teachers can find useful strategies in the Graphic design case study, which focuses on poster design, examining use of images, text and composition. This case study and accompanying resources can be downloaded from the learning resources page of the William Morris Gallery website. 3 About this learning resource This learning resource is part of the legacy of William Morris Gallery’s 2014 exhibition Help is better than Sympathy: Frank Brangwyn and the First World War. A selection of Frank Brangwyn’s First World War posters and art works can be seen at the William Morris Gallery either on display or on request. You can find out more about Frank Brangwyn in the Brangwyn gallery at the William Morris Gallery. Visiting William Morris Gallery The Gallery can accommodate no more than one school class at a time. If you wish to visit please book in advance. William Morris Gallery Lloyd Park, Forest Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 4PP 020 8496 4390 wmgallery.org.uk For schools enquiries contact [email protected] Open Wed – Sun 10 am – 5 pm, Tues for schools/groups by appointment Admission free 4 b) Frank Brangwyn and the First World War Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956) Frank Brangwyn was born in Bruges, Belgium, to British parents. The family moved back to London when Brangwyn was seven. He received little formal art training. As a child he loved to draw but school did not interest him. He often skipped class to accompany his father, a designer, to work, where he would help with deliveries; an excuse to roam the streets and draw. Brangwyn served a brief apprenticeship with William Morris, tracing designs and enlarging drawings. However he was restless and left after two years to work on boats, drawing and painting the places he visited. By the time he was in his twenties, Brangwyn was well travelled and his work had attracted international attention. By the turn of the century, Brangwyn was one of Britain’s most renowned artists. His paintings and etchings were widely exhibited on the Continent, including the international exhibitions in Brussels (1910) and Ghent (1913). Brangwyn’s War On the 4th of August 1914 German troops invaded Belgium. With overwhelming public support, the British government declared war on Germany and entered the First World War. In the first months of the war, about a million Belgian refugees fled to neighbouring countries. Some 250,000 refugees made it to Britain, where they met a sympathetic welcome. Relief committees formed all over the country, raising funds for the refugees. The fate of Belgium became a constant reminder of the ‘righteousness’ of the war, and people wanted to help. Brangwyn was no exception. His personal loyalty to Belgium, the country of his birth, and a deep empathy for the fate of ordinary people propelled him into action. He poured his energies into the war effort; supporting refugee artists, contributing to fundraising exhibitions and designing fundraising posters free of charge. He also received commissions from newspapers and the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (London Underground). The government was slow to catch up with the effectiveness of using artists to produce propaganda, but Brangwyn eventually was commissioned to create designs for the Ministry of Information, the National War Savings Committee and the US Navy. Brangwyn designed 80 posters, now synonymous with First World War propaganda. Despite this range of commissions, Brangwyn’s posters are instantly recognisable. Brangwyn depicted the reality of the war in all its horrors, irrespective of the sensitivities of his patrons. The figures in his posters appeal directly to the viewer, they are angry, cry out, or are dwarfed by the enormity of the destruction around them. The message is not subtle, nor is it supposed to be. The emotional intensity of the poster intends to remove doubt and provoke action. 5 c) An overview of First World War propaganda posters To be effective, propaganda posters must be striking, economical and efficient, and deliver a direct and simple message. They may bewitch, terrify or beguile the viewer, in order to urge, cajole, seduce or coerce people to take action.1 The British government increasingly adopted advertising techniques during the First World War. At first they commissioned printing firms to create the designs. Commercial firms however recognised that artists would be able to create much more powerful posters. For example, Frank Pick the general manager of London Underground commissioned Frank Brangwyn and Gerald Spencer Pryse, seeking genuine emotion and energy from these artists that the printers’ art departments could not provide. Key First World War propaganda poster themes The examples given here are from the Imperial War Museum’s collection and not Brangwyn’s work. Examples of Brangwyn’s posters can be found in the image bank on the learning resources page of the William Morris Gallery website. Your country needs you It soon became clear that the British needed more men for the army and so the appeal went out for volunteers. Posters tried to convince men to ‘do their duty’ by shaming them, appealing to their loyalty and sense of honour. After conscription was introduced with the passing of the Military Service Act in March 1916, propaganda continued to play an important role. Posters made it clear that everyone was expect to do their bit for the war; if not at the front then in the munitions factory or working as a nurse. © IWM (Q 31442) 1 Aulich, James, War Posters. Weapons of Mass Communication (Thames & Hudson with the Imperial War Museum, 2007) 6 What are we fighting for Once the initial euphoria for the war had subsided, it became important to remind people what they were fighting for. Some posters promoted patriotism, for example by using symbols of nationhood (the British bulldog or the German eagle). Others showed the destruction of Allied countries and the displacement of refugees. Some vilified the enemy, accusing them of atrocities or portraying them as monsters. © IWM (Art.IWM PST 13398) Raising funds The war had to be paid for. The posters ask people to raise money by buying war bonds and by taking part in war saving campaigns, such as ‘Tank Week’ and ‘Feed the Guns Week’. © IWM (Art.IWM PST 10176) Keep up morale Keeping up morale became increasingly important as the conflict continued. British people were asked to support the troops; for example by sending them some tobacco and support the work of the Red Cross. They were also encouraged to be brave and defiant in the face of German zeppelin attacks. © IWM (Art.IWM PST 12207) 7 Commerce Commercial firms wanted to prove their patriotism. They also wanted to sell their goods and so they commissioned posters which were adapted for the war. © IWM (Art.IWM PST 10805) 8 d) Brangwyn’s artistic processes Inspiration Brangwyn never travelled to the front. Instead he used photographs to inspire his compositions, as well as his knowledge of Belgium; he had visited Belgium regularly between 1905 and 1909 and made many drawings and etchings.