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Art used as propaganda can be seen just about anywhere. Just look at any billboard while driving through town during election campaigns. Some of the more famous pieces of art used as propaganda came to us during WWII with Norman Rockwell's "Rosie the Riveter." According to Cornell University's "Art, Design & Visual Thinking" website "[p]ropaganda images are attempts to persuade us toward particular viewpoints or actions promoted by public or private institutions such as political parties, lobbyists, governments, or religious groups." (Cornell) As we all have learned Renaissance means "rebirth" in which people began to learn about mathematics, science and new techniques for art. Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man is an example of the blend of art and science during the Renaissance. By da Vinci studying his findings and putting them on paper he promoted science to the people. Along with the new views of art and sciences, the people of the Renaissance were exposed to new teachings about Christianity and religion. "Sophisticated classical scholars were hired to write official correspondence and propaganda; to create an image of the popes as powerful, enlightened, modern rulers of the Church; and to apply their scholarly tools to the church's needs, including writing a more classical form of the Mass." (Library of Congress) The propaganda used during the Renaissance helped shape the society. People were often uneducated and most could not read. Therefore by creating visual art to portray important events and people the less fortunate masses could be reached which was a key factor in spreading Christianity. References: |