Propaganda:
- Roman Catholic Church a committee of cardinals, the
Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (congregatio de
propaganda fide)
- any systematic, widespread dissemination or promotion of particular
ideas, doctrines, practices, etc. to further one's own cause or to damage
an opposing one
- ideas, doctrines, or allegations so spread
|
[1]
Kendall Taylor, “Propaganda,” The Grove Dictionary of Art Online,
ed. L. Macy (6 February 2003) <www.groveart.com>
[2]
Jane DeRose Evans, The Art of Persuasion: Political Propaganda from
Aeneas to Brutus (Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press,
1992), 6.
[4]
David Dowd, “Art as National Propaganda in the French Revolution,”
Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol 15 (Autumn 1951): 533.
|
What is the history of ‘propaganda’
 | The use of propaganda has been around since the
beginning of recorded time. 
Some of the earliest civilizations used propaganda in a way that secured
their continued rule over regions they conquered.[1]
The Assyrian king Sargon II is an example of a king who constantly waged
war to gain land. Often these kings would have relief sculptures created
that symbolized the strength and power of the leads and armies. |
| Romans used propaganda in a different way: the
pursuit to dominate and control people in its empire, which encompassed a
vast array of regions. Many of the citizens that made up the ‘roman’
public were considered illiterate. Therefore, it was necessary for the
Caesars to visually persuade and propagate their dominance over distant
lands. As Jane DeRose Evans points out “Propaganda will only
 persuade
people who are actively engaged in the culture and who can focus on the
society as a whole.”[2]
The Romans turned to the production of coins as a means to influence the
populace. Coins would contain familial names, referenced genealogical
ties, or emphasized mythological ties. |
| The term “Propaganda” came into use in the
seventeenth century by the Roman Catholic Church.[3]
 | 1622 – congregation de propaganda fide or
The Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith was established, also
known as Propaganda
 | this congregation was in charge of missionary
activities to Central and South America, the Caribbean, the
Philippines, Japan, China and India (not limited to these areas) |
| it provided a research library and a school for
priests involved in the missions |
| its purpose was to restore Catholicism to
Protestant and some Eastern Orthodox regions, as well as convert
non-Christian religions |
|
|
| Christianity pursued a propaganda program steeped in
visual media. Paintings, sculpture, architecture had been used to
disseminate the word of God and educate illiterate people in the ways of
the Church. |
| During the French Revolution, we start to see the
use of paintings and sculpture as a social message to rouse sympathy in
the poorer classes for the support of the cause – “French Nationalism”.[4]
Many of the devices used as propaganda also included clubs, plays,
monuments, music, and festivals. They were designed to appeal to the
average Frenchman, typically uneducated. |
|
 The
use of political cartoons became dominant as a means of propaganda,
typically in a negative way, exposing either deception or distortion. |
| In the twentieth century, propaganda has many
different forms
| social commentary, examples
| Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945)
Images |
| Ben Shahn (1898-1969) |
| Diego Rivera (1886-1957) Figures: 1
2 3 4 |
| Jenny Holzer (1950-) Figures: 1
2 3 |
| Krzysztof Wodiczko (1943-) |
|
| war propaganda
| posters and radio broadcasts were employed to
boost morale and support for the war and breakdown the morale of the
opposition Figures: 1
2 |
|
| national propaganda, examples
| China
|
| Germany
|
| Soviet Union
| Agitprop (agitational propaganda) Figures:
1 |
|
|
| marketing and advertisements |
|
|
|
|
Article 1
Susan Wood, “Memoriae
Agrippinae: Agrippina the Elder in Julio-Claudian Art and Propaganda”
American Journal of Archaeology, Volume 92, Issue 3 (July 1988),
409-426. (JSTOR)
| Important points
| Imperial women figure prominently in the official
art and propaganda
| Older female relatives and ancestresses, kept in
the public eye by displays of pietas, invoked by ruling
emperors demonstrating their bloodlines |
| Living women who represented the hope for the
birth of heirs were lauded in their roles as wives and mothers |
| Represented the various virtues the an emperor
wished to claim as belonging to his regime |
| Rarely, a public claim by a woman to political
authority |
|
| Agrippina the Elder (Major)
| As a woman
| Wife of Germanicus |
| Mother to Caligula (Gaius) and Agrippina the
Younger (Minor) |
| Grandmother to Nero |
|
| As a leader
| Significant figure in dynastic politics |
|
| As propaganda
| All of the above listed functions are
represented in the art and coinage containing her images by her
children
| Honored as the wife of Germanicus |
| Honored by Caligula as
a descendant of Augustus |
| Honored by Agrippina Minor as a means of
securing her own political ambitions |
| Image is used by Claudius to legitimize his
reign and establish his bloodlines through his son Nero |
|
|
|
| Agrippina the Younger (Minor)
| Images
| Similar in style to her mother’s images |
| Appears on numerous (54) coins emphasizing her
authority |
|
| Gemma Claudia
| Parallels Germanicus and Claudius, as well as
Agrippina Major and Agrippina Minor
| Agrippina Major – personification Dea Roma
or attributes of Virtus, the Roman god of courage and military
prowess[5] |
| Agrippina Minor – personification of the
earth or attributes of Ceres , fertility goddess of agriculture,
grain and the love a mother bears for her child[6] |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Article 2
David L. Dowd, “Art as
National Propaganda in the French Revolution” Public Opinion Quarterly,
Volume 15, Issue 3 (Autumn 1951), 532-546. (JSTOR)
| Important points
| Propaganda was used to initiate a growing interest
in French Nationalism (patriotism)
| It was designed to be receptive to the average
Frenchman
| Public concerts |
| Street singers |
| Fêtes (festivals) and pageants |
| Monuments/Sculptures |
| Engravings of paintings |
| Posters |
|
| The idea that art could and should be used to
mould and influence public opinion was widely accepted |
|
| Artists felt it was their duty to use their
talents to help further the cause
| Subject matter – Paintings/Engravings
| Death – martyrs for the
cause, vanquishing enemies
| “fight or die, kill or be killed” |
|
| Allegories from mythology |
| Incidents from ancient history |
| Ridicule against enemies |
|
| Subject matter – Monuments/Sculpture
| Military victories |
| National heroes |
|
|
| Fêtes
| Placed attention on the people
| Required participation |
| Flattered the average person |
|
| Gave praise to the wounded or dead but not the
living soldiers |
|
|
|
|
[7]
“Goebbels, Joseph,”
Encyclopedia Brittanica from Encyclopedia Britannica Online (9 February
2003) <search.eb.com/eb/article?eu=37927> |
Article 3
Leonard W. Doob, “Goebbels’
Principles of Propaganda,” Public Opinion and Propaganda (New York:
H. Holt, 1948) (POLITPROP)
| Who was Joseph Goebbels?
| He was the Minister of Propaganda for Nazi Germany |
| Directed Reichsministernium für Volksaufklärung
und Propaganda (trans. Ministry for Public Enlightenment and
Propagada for the Realm) and Reichskulterkammer (trans. Chamber
of Culture for the Realm) |
| Largely responsible for the positive image of the
Nazi party
| In charge of
| Press |
| Radio |
| Theatre |
| Films |
| Literature |
| Music |
| Fine Arts[7] |
|
|
|
| Important points
| Propaganda must be planned and executed by only
one authority |
| To be perceived, propaganda must evoke the
interest of an audience and must be transmitted through tan
attention-getting communications medium |
| Propaganda must be carefully timed |
| Propaganda on the home front must diminish the
impact of frustration |
|
|
| |
|
| |
