The War is Always Home

Martha Rosler's "Bringing the War Home: House Beautiful", uses a collage technique in order to illustrate the horrors of the vietnam war.  It was produced during the U.S's involvement in the Vietnam war.  Rosler herself was involved in anti-war activities that opposed the war in vietnam.  This collage is a response to the, "frustration with the images that she saw in television and print media."  The collage is set in houses in America, where there are cut-outs of soldiers, babies, and war preparation.   The artist tried to connect the two sides of the experience, which were, the war in vietnam, and the living rooms in America.  the central theme that she tries to show is that, could you really enjoy all of the materialistic things that you have in your home, if you knew someone died for your enjoyment?  

I like the message the Rolser is conveying with her work.  To me, I think it's a really moving piece of work because as I understand, lots of families lost their loved ones during the vietnam war, so it was almost as the war wasn't just in Vietnam  but also in American households.  It was a really hard period of American history and she conveys that well in her piece.  I especially like how she shows the two-sided affair of it, the nice decorated kitchens and living rooms, and the soldiers, dead bodies, and crying fathers.  Overall the message is delivered excellently.