(Berlin, Germany, 1891 - 1968, East Berlin)
1933
Photogravure
10 3/8 x 14 3/4 in. (26.4 x 37.6 cm)
Collection of the Akron Art Museum
Gift of Roger R. Smith
1991.18
The colloquial expression used by Heartfield, sich winden wie ein Aal (literally, to wriggle like an eel), means to energetically try to avoid telling the truth. The snakes entwine to form the shape of the paragraph sign used in German law books. This montage was related to the issue’s cover, which showed one of the defendants, Georgi Dimitrov (1882-1949), being escorted by two guards. It was titled “Dimitrov before the court: in this trial I am not the debtor, but the creditor!”