Introduction

Visual Index (Entire Poster Collection)

Catalogue

Chronology of the War

Acknowledgements

Lists of References

Afterword: Herbert R. Southworth Collection

Els caiguts et necessiten!.. ajuda

[The fallen need help]. E. Vicente. Generalitat de Catalunya, Consell de Sanitat de Guerra lithograph, 7 colors; visible image 20 x 14 cm

This poster addresses one of the reoccurring themes during any war - caring for the wounded and the sick. In this image, a nurse is caring for a soldier, who, with blood dripping from his helmet, has apparently been wounded in battle. The message of the poster indicates that this poster may have served to recruit volunteers to help with the care of the "fallen." In particular, the poster may be appealing to women to work in the rearguard as nurses. The poster dates to 1937 during which the Nationalist front bisected Cataluña from North to South and Franco began heavy aerial bombardment of Barcelona to try to demoralize those fighting for Republican Spain.

Eduardo Vicente (1909-1968) is the artist of this poster. Vicente studied at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (San Fernando School of Fine Arts) and, afterwards, worked in the studios of various set designers. In the early 1930s, he worked as the director of the Museo Ambulante de Misiones Pedagógicas (Travelling Museum of Educational Missions). He returned to the art community in Madrid in 1936 and spent the duration of the war living in Madrid and Valencia. This poster may date from his time in Valencia. Following the war, he worked as an industrial painter and joined the Academia Breve de Crítica de Art (Academy of Art Criticism) in 1942. In 1948, he was award the "Count of Cartagena" fellowship that allowed him to further develop his artistic skills in New York City.