BEN SHAHN (1898-1969) BREAK REACTION'S GRIP / REGISTER - VOTE. Circa 1946. 41 1/2x28 3/4 inches, 105 1/2x73 cm. L.I.P. & B.A., New York. Condition B+: replaced upper right corner; repaired tears and replaced losses at edges; creases and restoration along vertical and horizontal folds. In the years after World War II, Shahn takes on a new threat: reactionaries. "The one arm, dressed in coat sleeve and shirt cuff, with hand clasping a colorful map of the United States, represents the country's supposedly small, but powerful, reactionary forces. The poster suggests that however strong, their power could be broken by the greater strength of the progressive forces, as represented by the larger, sleeveless arm" (Prescott p. 131). Prescott 154, Word & Image 91, Modern Poster 198, American Style p. 111.
