Juan Sin Seso "Brainless John" screen print poster

Object Details

Local Numbers: AC0615-0000013.tif (AC Scan) 1997.3100.26 (Museum Cat. No.)
Exhibitions Note: In the exhibition "Posters from the Division of Community Education (DIVEDCO) of Puerto Rico, 1948-1989," Sept. 17, 2008-Jan. 18, 2009, at the Smithsonian's S. Dillon Ripley Center.

Artist: Contreras, Jose Melendez
Sponsor: Puerto Rico. Division of Community Education. Department of Education
Collection Donor: Archivo General de Puerto Rico

Artist: Contreras, Jose Melendez
Sponsor: Puerto Rico. Division of Community Education. Department of Education

See more items in: Puerto Rico Division of Community Education [DIVEDCO] Poster Collection; Puerto Rico Division of Community Education [DIVEDCO] Poster Collection / Series 1: Events / Movies

Collection Citation: Puerto Rico Division of Community Education Poster Collection, 1940-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Collection Rights: Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Bibliography: Reproduced in "Treasures from the Smithsonian Institution 2010" (Smithsonian Calendar), opp. page for May 23-29. Used April 27, 2010, on the Smithsonian Photographic Initiative web site, "click! photography changes everything" (http://click.si.edu) to accompany contributor Jeremy Wolfe's (a professor at Harvard School of Medicine who investigates visual attention) story, which reflects on how photography changes what and how much we remember.

Genre/Form: Film posters -- 20th century; Posters -- Puerto Rico; Screen prints

Scope and Contents: This poster advertising the film "Juan Sin Seso" ("Brainless John"), has a minimalist design, relying on text to form the illustration. The image presents a profile of a man's head with a hollow space instead of a brain, crammed with the words "propaganda" and "si" ("yes"). Ironically, the film utilizes elements of propaganda to argue against it. This film was shown in 1960 in Melbourne, Venice, and Edinburgh Film Festivals. (Based on exhibition text by Marvette Perez.)