After the horrors of WWI, which proved that the fighting techniques from the times of the Napoleon were, obviously, outdated and contributed to the tragedy of the war, many people looked to the new types of art, mainly photography and cinematography to express themselves and their desire to progress. Many do not realize, that central Europe became the cradle for this modern form of art, which flourished in the interwar period. Much of the movement stopped shortly after WWII started and later this jewel became concealed by the Iron Curtin. For the first time in history, National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. set out to show the riches of this region, its people and their revolutionary ideas in creating new directions in art in an exhibit called Photo: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945.

The exhibit has débuted on June 10 and will be on display until September 3rd in Washington D.C., later making appearances in New York (Guggenheim Museum October 5th - January 2nd) and Milwaukee Art Institute (February 4th – May 4, 2008). Comprised of Photographs and Films of artists from Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungry and of course Poland he exhibits presents how pictures have become the symbol of modernity for people and were used in pop culture, surrealist ideas as well as in extreme politics.

The photo section is divided into eight categories focusing on various themes “across central Europe to compare local differences against a heritage of shared institutions and attitudes towards modernity.” The sections cover topics from how people dealt with the pictures of WWI of dismantled bodies resulting in a photomontage or collage and how did those ideas developed into an optimistic ideas of forming one future to spreading new social and political ideas through posters.

The films shown during the time the exhibit is presented prove that “innovation and cultural tradition did not merely clash, but often coalesced to create the unique cinematic language of the region.” Many regions had their specific concentrations, where the films reflecting the political and social atmosphere, becoming in many people’s view the most important media that could reach all the people. For example Children Must Laugh is a very rare example of how the Polish Jewish population attempted to bring about social change.

The exhibit is worth the while everyone: whether interested in history, social change or interaction of influence between modern thought and art. The breathtaking collection has many examples that were widely popular, however due to the war became forgotten or underappreciated. The curator of the exhibit, Matthew S. Witkovsky, is the perfect man for this position as he holds a doctorate degree with his thesis concentrating on avant-garde art in the former Czechoslovakia.