From Brushstrokes to Pixels: Analyzing the Evolution of Political Propaganda in Visual Media

Abstract

Leaders, particularly those associated with fascist ideologies, employ visual media as a tool to construct and propagate certain doctrines within the general populace. In this scholarly endeavor, our pursuit revolves around elucidating the profound interplay between art and photography as potent instruments of persuasive communication. First, readers will meet a brief historical background of both mechanisms. Later, in the literature review, several studies will be presented in which critics have shed light on art and photography as effective ways for political propaganda, by analyzing their synergistic relationship and impact on individuals. The argument will be integrated with the works of both Roland Bathes and Walter Benjamin. In the final part of this paper, we provide a few visual representations of both Western and Eastern political figures – King Henry VIII, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, and Saddam Hussein – who have framed the population’s perception through the impact of their artistic weaponry.