North Korean Posters: The David Heather Collection [Paperback]

David Heather (Author), Koen De Ceuster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2008

This rare glimpse into North Korean society is the first book of its kind: a riveting collection of state-sponsored propaganda posters that present the unique graphic sensibilities of this little-known country.

Seldom seen by the outside world, North Korea s propaganda art colors the cities and countryside with vibrant images of brave soldiers, happy and well-fed peasants, and a heroic and compassionate leader. More than 250 of these posters are collected here for the first time, showing the wide range of North Korean propaganda art. Hand-painted, one-of-a-kind pieces of art, these posters display the latest political slogans that are repeated in newspaper editorials, government declarations, and compulsory study sessions throughout the country. A unique collection which would appeal to artists and graphic designers as well as those interested in this closed society, this book may not represent the reality of North Korea, but rather a vision of the country as promoted by its regime and depicted by its state sponsored artists.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Propaganda is one of the only forms of artistic expression in which representation equals endorsement. Fraught with exclamation points and the color red, this stunning volume of art collector David Heather's collection of North Korean propaganda posters, edited by Koen de Ceuster, portrays an even rarer form of artistic expression: a representation of representation that equals endorsement. Of course, any review is a representation of a representation of a representation, but that does not necessarily equal endorsement -- triple removes and the Droste effect notwithstanding.

A socialist realism of clarity, compactness and delicacy -- tenets crystallized by North Korean ruler Kim Jong Il -- informs these pictures. The exhortations accompanying the images are equally concise: "More milk and meat, by positively expanding grassland!" "Here and there in the country, let's build more small-scale power plants!" "Bombing suicide squad, forward!", "Socialism is invincible!", even, "Let's popularize basketball!"

"North Korean Posters" is a book that comes at a deeply auspicious time. With the easing of U.S. sanctions and the discreet charm of the Internet, it won't be long before images of gleaming patriots are tested by the perception of freedoms in the world outside and the withering onslaught of capitalism -- and all the fast food and graffiti that that implies. North Korea is the last country of its kind in terms of fervent isolation and nationalism; these priceless examples of agitprop exist simultaneously as history lessons and time capsules. Ironically, as curiosity and avarice congeal into the wax of capitalism, posters like these become coveted collector's items -- trading for sizable sums that to the propagandists who created these fierce and stoic artifacts would represent a psychological disembowelment -- and be vastly more effective than any four-color, four-story call to arms. --Los Angeles Times, Sunday, August 3, 2008

This is the first extensive collection of propaganda posters from this people s paradise, and while these last vestiges of turgid Socialist Realism are just what one might expect from a repressive regime, it is still fascinating to see this imagery, which adheres to the Mao-era style. Ambiguity is, of course, nonexistent among the happy faces of North Korean farmers, workers and soldiers who defend the Party, the Leader and the socialist fatherland! The visual and textual language is fairly consistent, but there are two posters that stand out. One shows a smiling woman with a goat; the caption reads, Let s extensively raise goats in all families! The other is of a male soldier and a female sailor proudly saluting, with the caption "Let s be the General s Army, imbued with the spirit of suicide and self-sacrifice!" --The New York Times, Sunday, July 27, 2008

About the Author

Koen De Ceuster is a widely respected expert in the field of modern Korean history and the political and economic development of South and North Korea. He is the author of numerous publications on the country and history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Prestel USA (May 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3791339672
• ISBN-13: 978-3791339672
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ever forward to Paradise, May 3, 2008

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: North Korean Posters: The David Heather Collection (Paperback)

To quote from Koen De Ceuster in the book's intro: 'Only if the poster appeals to the ideological and aesthetic sentiments of the people will it succeed in truly rousing the people'. The cynical might conclude because the people were not truly roused by these posters is a good enough reason to explain why the economy of the DPRK is in such a ramshackle state.

The 250 reproduced are pretty lackluster in their creativity. This becomes apparent when compared to Soviet Posters (published by Prestel in 2007 and the same size and format) though admittedly they developed over several decades and had the benefit of talent like Lissitzky, Govorkov and Rodchenko to create political masterpieces. With a closed society like North Korea where creativity emanated from the two Kims should anyone expect anything better.

Despite a sameness to many of the images some do stand out. A poster on page 233 is an interesting painting of four horsemen with flags, riding into the future (where else!). As with so many posters shown the groupings are the same: a soldier, woman farmer, steel worker and an intellectual. The painting style looks quite contemporary though. On page 251 has a diesel engine done in a very graphic style with the side of the unit incorporating bold type, the poster headline is in the same perspective as the engine. There are no dates or artists mentioned in any of the captions and looking through the pages I get the impression that maybe the bulk of the posters were created by a small group of artists and designers.

There is a chapter called: Undeterred Defiance, with forty-five works hurling abuse and dire consequences at the US and some of these look several decades old. Covering the Korean war and later the capture of the USS Pueblo in 1968 and a US helicopter incident in 1994. These last two events, very minor in the scheme of things but as they are the only two things where the US directly affected North Korea their importance is exaggerated enormously.

The book is identical to the Soviet Posters I've mentioned. The same 288 pages, color throughout, in 150 screen and also the same annoyance of having all the captions and page numbers sideways on each page (so four stars) but I thought the Soviet book's contents far more interesting. With two books covering the same subject I wonder if Prestel will extend the idea to Cuban, Polish and East German political posters?

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book..., January 16, 2011

By 

Susan Lipps - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: North Korean Posters: The David Heather Collection (Paperback)

I purchased this book for my husband for Christmas. He has a deep interest in propaganda as well as North Korea. This book is full of really neat and sometimes beautiful as well as disturbing pictures. The husband is concerned that something is lost in the translation of the posters as well as it seems the person who wrote the book is a bit of a sympathizer. That doesn't matter much to him because all he cares about is the artwork. Either way... a great book.

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a good series of books, January 5, 2011

By 

Courtney Macklin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: North Korean Posters: The David Heather Collection (Paperback)

Prestel publishes a series of books of collections of posters from various 'communist' countries. They are extremely interesting to look through and especially to see how styles/subjects change as time progresses. The only qualm I have is that they did not date the posters in this book. In the Soviet Posters, they were dated, and history sorts of people enjoy that. Based on the amount of secrecy in North Korea, dates may have been unknown/unavailable.