Ogunquit Museum of American Art- World War I Posters, the Value of Thought

Looking back 100 years from our smartphones and laptops, from the vast array of social media, it’s hard to understand how much impact posters once had.  But in  1917, before widespread use of radio,  posters were a vital element of persuasion, information, and incentive.  For us, a century later, they offer some insight into the global conflict of World War I.

artist Henry Raleigh

Our visit to the Ogunquit Museum of American Art coincides with the 100 year anniversary of the US participation in the First World War.  The  theme of the current special exhibit is Tradition and Excellence: Art and Ogunquit 1914-1918.  I am especially drawn to these WWI posters.  Even as I photograph them, I am struggling with powerful feelings they elicit.

Artist Howard Chandler Christy

Does my response to these have to do with world tensions of today?  The photos, taken without flash,  are just reproductions for this blog.  Even as I am writing this, the images rouse feelings of patriotism and... a little anxiety.

Poster by Herbert Paus

Artist Ray Greenleaf

Only after I get home  and do some additional research do I see that these posters are meant to connect the visitor  with “... anxieties, resistance, helplessness and hopefulness of the time.” (from the museum web site: http://tinyurl.com/OMAA-WWI-postershttp://tinyurl.com/OMAA-WWI-posters).  As far as I am concerned, the posters successfully accomplish their task.

Speaking of research... the other exhibit we enjoy is the ‘Value of Thought’, a gallery of paintings depicting libraries.  As I start exploring the paintings, I remember the feeling I had in the library I used to visit as a youngster.  I recall sitting on the floor in the children’s room, poring through books planning what to borrow.  I remember when research demanded a visit to a library, maybe a request from the archives; time at a table taking notes, double-checking references....

Artist Alison Rector visited eighteen Carnegie libraries in Maine, and her works recreate those feelings for me. Because the exhibit has ended, the next best place (on a computer) to view some of Rector’s library paintings and other works is http://greenhutgalleries.me/gallery/alison-rector/ .

Like the WWI posters, this exhibit has evoked some powerful feelings for me--in this case, nostalgic, and also a little sentimental about the time when learning/investigating/researching might take me to a beautiful, book-lined room.