ABC of Democracy from the portfolio Century of the Common Man

Hugo Gellert’s art reflected his political and social activism in particular, his opposition to Fascism and the exploitation of workers under capitalism. His work—and the ways in which he exhibited and published it—reflected his goal of eschewing the elitism of traditional easel painting in order to reach a broad and diverse public. He created murals, posters, prints, and art designed for publications, such as newspapers and journals, both those associated with leftist ideology and communism (such as The Masses, New Masses, and The Liberator) as well as more mainstream publications such as The New Yorker. His developed a distinctive aesthetic that recalls Socialist Realism, as well as forms and images that evoke the mechanized forms of the machine-age. "Century of The Common Man" is a portfolio comprising 19 screenprints that act as illustrations to a speech given by the U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace. Gellert, maximized the potential of screenprint to create a visual language comprised of simplified forms, dark outlines, and large, flat areas of bold, saturated colors without any shading or moderation. This work is plate 14 from "Century of the Common Man."