written by art historian & curator Mihaela Manolache
Art has served politics, monarchs, and kings since the birth of civilisation. Artistic creations showcased their political power and impressed their subjects for devotion and loyalty purposes. Impressive architectural constructions, majestic wall paintings, gold sculptures, and mosaics depict the leader’s wealth, adoration, and holiness. Today we are amazed by its beauty and impressive technological performances, so it’s hard to tell what impression would have made in the past upon simple people.
However, politics can sometimes have a divisive effect on art. In certain circumstances, governments may attempt to control artistic expression to serve their own agendas. As artistic mediums can reach all social classes, art has been used as a tool for political propaganda that promoted ideas with negative repercussions in the long term. In its turn, politics can also provide inspiration for artistic expression. It is known the fact that artists have used their works to comment on social issues, advocate for justice, and even critique political systems or their commissioners. It’s enough to look at the 1930s and evaluate how leaders twisted art with ideology and determined certain social behaviours. Italian Fascism, Russian Sovietism, and German Nazism are typical examples of totalitarian regimes which…
