This image, bearing the phrase “Les Conquêtes Noyées, Les Profits Montent” (“Achievements Sunk, Profits Rising”), emerged as part of the visual arsenal of the Atelier Populaire, the famed workshop of student and worker protesters during the Paris uprisings of May 1968. Through strikingly stark visuals and bold typography, it reflects the charged atmosphere of discontent that mobilised workers and students against state authoritarianism and capitalist exploitation, capturing the tension between societal progress and corporate profiteering.
The Atelier Populaire’s workshop was a focal point for the revolutionary critique of the era, creating posters that were both artistic and immediately political. Rooted in the broader context of the workers’ strikes and student protests that paralysed France, this image distils the mood of defiance. The rising fist conveys solidarity and resistance, while the surrounding waves speak to the overarching tides of struggle faced in pursuit of equity and justice.