I Want You by James Montgomery Flagg, 1940
Guns, tanks, and bombs were the principal weapons of World War II, but there were other more subtle forms of warfare as well. Words, posters, and films waged a constant battle for the hearts and minds of Americans just as surely as military weapons engaged the enemy. Persuading the American public became a wartime industry, almost as important as the manufacturing of bullets and planes. The government launched an aggressive propaganda campaign with clearly articulated goals and strategies to encourage public support, and it recruited some of the nation's foremost intellectuals, artists, and filmmakers to help with it.
Definitions
Persuasion is the act of getting someone to take a particular action or to change a particular belief.
Propaganda is a form of communication aimed at influencing the attitudes of people toward some cause or position.
Click on the link below to view the online exhibition.
This exhibition is split into two parts. Choose 1 or 2 topics from each part to explore the questions; however, feel free to view the entire exhibition.
Link:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers_of_persuasion/powers_of_persuasion_home.html
These questions are provided to help facilitate the discussion.
1. What emotions do the images convey?
2. What words, colors, and images are chosen for impact?
3. In what ways do the posters glamorize or vilify war or the people involved?
4. Using the list of terms and the links provided, which types of techniques are used in these posters? Name Calling, Glittering Generalities, Transfer, Testimonial Plain Folks, Card Stacking, Band Wagon
If you are not familiar with these terms use the links provided:
http://mason.gmu.edu/~amcdonal/Propaganda%20Techniques.html
5. Do you think propaganda/persuasion techniques still exist in our society? If so, where? How?
Click on the link and view these online ads.
http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/news
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FWHlPVwJKU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6rj5jisB7g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNkhw2PsZQk
6. After viewing the exhibit and the online ads, what are the similarities? What are the differences?
7. How does technology affect the way propaganda is created? Disseminated?
8. How does technology affect the way we view propaganda?
9. Are propaganda/persuasion practices positive or negative?
Additonal information :
Why think about propaganda?
http://www.propagandacritic.com/articles/intro.why.html
http://www.acjournal.org/holdings/vol5/iss3/articles/visual/visual.htm
http://propaganda.mrdonn.org/techniques.html#INTRO
Dissect an AD
The PBS election guide web site “By The People” makes the following argument for why political advertisements should be looked at more carefully.
http://www.pbs.org/elections/savvydissect.html
Federal Arts Project
Listen to the author, Roger Kennedy, discuss his book, When Art Work, about Pres. Roosevelt’s, Federal Art Projects under the New Deal.
http://wamu.org/audio/dr/09/12/r2091208-29173.asx
Teacher Resources:
If you are a teacher and would like to do a similar project with your class, click on the following:
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=405
http://propaganda.mrdonn.org/lessonplans.html
http://www.frankwbaker.com/propaganda.htm
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ReplyDeleteI am going to comment on the first link of war posters. One of my favorites was "This is Nazi Brutality" very emotional. The text layered over the art gives this war poster a contemporary feel. It was amazing to me the association with guilt and patriotism...the idea being "conserve goods and fuel or you are a trader". I understand that there were shortages during that time but just strictly looking at the images as propoganda makes me think it would be interesting to tie patriotism in with global warming.
ReplyDeletePropaganda is a great topic to discuss...It is important to understand why we become so easily lead or support things we may not even care for...
ReplyDeleteGreat job guys, however I want to throw a question out there. Since you are defining this blog as a place to discover the visual and performing arts, do you consider propaganda posters as art? They were skillfully designed to achieve a specific purpose but were cheaply mass produced, glued to walls and then discarded after a set period of time. Then compare that to advertising today and you will see many similarities between the two. Is advertising art? Anyways, just something to think about.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'm still waiting to be credited for being the inspiration behind this post.
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ReplyDeleteThat's a good question and observation Ali. However, The intent of this post was specifically targeted toward the ideas of persuasion and propaganda and what better way to illustrate how these forms of communication have been utilized then to show war posters from that period and compare it to today's advertisements and political ads. I will say though there is some level of creativity and skill that goes into drawing, painting and conceptually creating those posters, as well as today's advertisements.They are part of visual culture which opens the question to "what is art"? Do anyone agree with Ali, If so do you consider these advertising ads low art and not worthy to be exhibited in art museums? Your thoughts are appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThe whole purpose of my study is to show that propaganda, political ads, political messages, or whatever label/name is in vogue at the moment, have used the exact same tried and true visual techniques of persuasion. The Obama Hope poster has a conceptual and aesthetic genealogy that can be traced back to the ancient Egyptian depictions of their pharaohs' visage. So to directly answer your question, YES today's political ads are similar to historical propaganda.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, you seem to misunderstand and misrepresent my personal beliefs by implying that I consider advertising as "low art." If you re-read my previous post I clearly asked "is advertising art" without saying how I feel about the subject. This question arose from your choice to include propaganda and discuss advertising in your art themed blog, and is a legitimate question to ask in my opinion. I mainly wanted to hear what other people think.
If you want my opinion, I believe that what is traditionally considered art; as low or even failed forms of design. Also what a few people consider "worthy" of being exhibited in art museums is irrelevant to me. I know that what I said might piss many of you off, but that just means that you do not fully understand what design is. In any case, just remember that I am an architect and by definition all architects have a superiority complex :)
I think that the mass production of images does have a diluting effect on them, but that doesn't mean that they are not art. Also, the purpose for which art is created is a factor in its status as "high" or "low" art. I would call it art. Same as the images in a modern day poster at an Army recruiter. They are cultural artifacts. Maybe ads for consumer products are too, but the subject matter of these images is a bit weightier.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I agree with Ali...he does have a superiority complex:)but I still like his ideas. Secondly, I also agree that political posters, war posters, are a form of art and should be recognized as such. There are all types of art and I don't consider one form "high art" and the other "low art". Who decides what is good or bad art...oh yes, that would be the individual person. I think if art allows you to look at your preconceived notions and it causes a change to occur on a conscious or unconscious level (whether that change is caused by propaganda or not) to me that is powerful and that is art.
ReplyDeleteI think to some extent you can get around the "high art/low art" debate by using the term visual culture. This poster and other similar images certainly qualify as part of our visual culture and therefore are worthy of being looked at from a critical art perspective...just my two cents :)
ReplyDeleteI just got back from England and there was an amazing display of original Bolshevik revolutionary propaganda on display at the Tate Modern. A lot of them were on butcher paper and newsprint...they were so powerful, and interesting to consider, especially because of the hypocrisy involved...it's amazing to think that propaganda actually works to construct our views of the government when the other side of the coin seems so obvious...
ReplyDelete