Propaganda And Art In The 20th Century

1144 Words5 Pages
The influence of propaganda on the development of art in the 20th century

Europe of the 20th century underwent a number of important social, political and economical changes. In an age marked by the rise of nationalism and the two World Wars, by overwhelming scientifical and technological innovation, the arts were facing many challenges caused by the tensions and unrest characteristic for this period of time. With ideologies such as Communism in Russia, Fascism in Italy and Hitler 's Nazism in Germany spreading rapidly through Europe, their propaganda reached the world of art, having a great impact on both the artist and the artwork. This article takes a closer look at the relationship between propaganda and art in the context of a war dominated society, disclosing the diverse façades of ideological influence on the world of arts. Understanding the historical context is a vital condition for a deeper comprehension of the development of arts, when it is so closely tied to the social, political and economical factors. Throughout history, propaganda was used as a powerful means of gaining control over the many by a few, employing methods that present a broad field of reasearch to the day. The use of special phrases, the rigurous order or variation of the words, as well as various voice tonalities were analysed by the scientific comunity in order to understand the way propaganda affects society. In Lasswell 's World Revolutionary propaganda, the author classifies the