Wartime art

[Felix C]

Is there a book which deals with propaganda art produced during the war representing the activities of the armed forced?
Looking for the navy in particular.

[DrG]

The definition of "art" is quite wide, therefore I don't know if my post will be useful for you, but I do hope so.

Adm. Paolo Bembo, an expert of art and a Navy officer, has published this book about the Navy in paintings:
La storia della Marina attraverso i dipinti (Preview of the book)
It covers some centuries of history, therefore it is not focused on WW2 as you require, but of course this topic is covered pretty well too (about a quarter of the length of the book). On the other hand, as you may see, it is devoted to art in its highest form, not strictly to propaganda.

The Historical Office of the Italian Navy had also published this book about the Austrian-born, but later Italian citizen, Rudolf Claudus, the most important painter of the Navy during WW2:
Claudus. Pittore del mare

These two books cover instead the topic of the Regio Esercito and propaganda in WW2:
Esercito e propaganda nella Seconda guerra mondiale
Esercito e propaganda nella Guerra di Liberazione

Catalogues of exhibitions about Italian aviation art in the first half of the XX Century:
Planespotting. Manifesti aeronautici italiani 1910-1943
Oggi si Vola! Manifesti, pitture e sculture aeronautiche del Novecento italiano

This book is about the propaganda posters of the Italian Social Republic:
Repubblica Sociale: i manifesti

In these webpages you will find several examples of propaganda posters and postcards, many of the Italian Social Republic and really a few about the Navy:
Gino Boccasile
Giulio Bertoletti
I manifesti della Repubblica Sociale Italiana del Centro di Ateneo per la storia della Resistenza e dell'età contemporanea
Manifesti della Repubblica Sociale Italiana

Here there is a list of painters active during Fascism, some of their works are about the war, but you have to check each one of them:
Architettura & Arte in Italia durante il Fascismo. Pittori

[Felix C]

thank you. I was reading about Italian submarines and the contemporary artwork in what I believe are postcards is impressive.

[DrG]

You are welcome. What book are you reading, please?

Unfortunately, I haven't found any specific book about posters and postcards of the Regia Marina before the armistice of 1943, instead, as you may see from my post, there are several books about the Armed Forces of the Italian Social Republic.

For example, I have just discovered also this book about the propaganda of the X MAS during the Social Republic:
Per l'onore. La Decima Flottiglia MAS e la sua propaganda, 1943-1945

[Felix C]

Un sommergibile non è rientrato alla base, Antonio Maronari. I went looking online for images and found wartime art dealing with submarines and find the drawings very interesting.
I do not know how to post images so cannot put up the postcard commemorating the 1942 sinking of an American battleship by an Italian submarine. An atmospheric image

[DrG]

Thank you, I haven't read this book.
Here you may find information on how to attach images: app.php/help/faq
In short, you should see "Attachments" near "Options", under the buttons "Save draft" "Preview" "Submit", when you are writing a post.

[LColombo]

Un sommergibile non è rientrato alla base, however, does not deal with art/propaganda. It is the story of Enrico Tazzoli, one of Italy's most successful submarines in the battle of the Atlantic (sank 18 ships, its commander was the famed Carlo Fecia di Cossato), narrated through the first-hand recollection of one of its crew members. A very interesting read.