Student Research Projects

Post World War II Anxieties: Art of the 1950s

Student Name(s)	Kyle Ulsh
Faculty Mentor(s)	Dr. Joyce Howell
Department	Art History
Course	Post World War II Anxieties: Art of the 1950s

Abstract

In the 1950s, many forms of art emerged that served as a way to expose the fear that many Americans and Europeans felt as a result of World War II; the most prevalent were the science fiction films and the Monster Art. Films such as Invaders from Mars, It Came from Outer Space, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers embody the fears that these two cultures felt. Similarly, the artwork of Alberto Giacometti and Francis Bacon display grotesque representations of individuals who come to represent the two greatest fears of the 1950s: Communism and Radiation.