Essay Example on General Dynamics by Erick Nitsche

The art is a poster done by Erick Nitsche in 1956. It is known as General Dynamic fist because of the message it is trying to communicate, which will be analyzed in more detail later. The second reason for the name is that it was done for General Dynamic Corporation. Erick did not complete all the work needed on the posted, and Lithos Marsens instead did its printing from Lausanne, Switzerland (Getlein, 128). The General Dynamics poster is an important one for humanity because it generally conveys messages about atomic energy and the potential benefit that humankind can benefit from its use. The poster is currently being housed in the Smithsonian Design, New York.

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The General Dynamics artwork is a poster that has a glowing sun-like object at the center of it. The object is conspicuous, and it draws its audience to look at it. The poster is an Offset lithograph on paper, whose dimensions are 52 x 37 (Getlein, 128). Below the sun-like object which is at the center are ocean-like waves that appear to be moving rhythmically. In the more in-depth explanation of atomic energy, these waves appear to be representing the sound waves that are necessary for the generation of this atomic energy. At the top half of the poster are white and small bright colors, which are all conjoined together by equally white but thin lines.

One of the most critical aspects of the poster is the message that the artist is trying to portray with regard to the contents that can be seen. As has earlier been mentioned, atomic energy is what the artist is trying to convey. For years, there have been many negative connotations about atomic energy. However, this is not an unfounded fear due to what was seen in the World War in 1945. When the USA dropped atomic bombs in Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities, it killed thousands of people and affected lives. Therefore, when people hear about atomic energy, they naturally remember the atomic bombs and the devastations that they brought. The poster aims to change this negative perception using a two-pronged approach. First, it softens the negative connotations and beliefs that people have on atomic energy. When this relatively long process is complete, it then aims to make them embrace atomic energy.

The color used in the poster is an iconography. One of the primary colors used in the poster is white and orange. The choice of these two colors is international and deliberate, rather than being a coincidence. The combination of the two colors, especially at the center of the portrait, seeks to eliminate the negative connotations associated with the sun. Rather than being viewed as destructive, the white colors are portrayed as providing a nurturing effect on the sun (Getlein, 128). Therefore, it shows that the white colors would countermand and negate any adverse effects that may be brought by the sun.

Lastly is the form which looks at the physical attributes of the artwork, specifically its size. Usually, artworks are of a smaller size than the 52 x 37 size of this poster. The big size and the use of even the edges are because many things needed to be fitter to communicate the message well. The poster features included the waves, the white stars and their interlocking lines, and the sun-like item at the center. All these could not be fitted and portrayed well if they were not adequately spaced, hence the size.

Conclusion

In conclusion, General Dynamics, created by Erick Nitsche, is a memorable poster. The message it seeks to communicate is controversial yet essential. Therefore, the poster’s features applied the long route of first softening the target audience to convince them.

Works Cited

Getlein, Mark. Living with art. McGraw-Hill, 12th Edition. 2020.128.