The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West - Assignment Example

Art as Propaganda Art as Propaganda The idea of art as propaganda is explicitly expressed in the Oath of the Horatii by David and The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West. The Oath of the Horatii is a big painting that was done in 1784 by Jacques David. It is one of the renowned paintings in the Neoclassical era. The painting is a scene from a Roman tale and depicts the conflicts between two warring regions. Three brothers from the Horatii family resolved to end the war by fighting three brothers from Alba Longa This episode took place in the seventh century BCE, long before Republican Rome (509-27 BCE). Rome and Alba Longa experienced conflicts due to power struggles and quest for more territories. The painting depicts three brothers saluting their dad who takes away their swords. They are taking an oath on their swords which Horatii will then hand to them. The period reflected in the painting was a creation of David to accomplish his creative goals. Since the ancient times, art has been used to help in creating a sense of imagery and convey a hidden message. The painting creates a sense of heroism as it was created just before the French Revolution (Kleiner, 2010, p. 356). The sons maintain the use of power to fight the enemy. The French authorities use the painting as a propaganda tool to create nationalism within the country. Ideally, the government wanted the citizens to uphold the sense of loyalty and pride as depicted by the loyalty that the Horatii brothers had towards their city. The government was concerned about the deportation of the citizens (Kleiner, 2010, p. 342). The government was for the idea that painting would help in bringing the citizens together, thus realizing nationalism. The painting inspired loyalty and bravery among the French nationals. Further, the picture shows two women who were associated with the Curiatii. Nonetheless, the two brothers are not concerned about the sobbing women but are ready to sacrifice for their city. The painting The Oath of the Horatii helped in laying the foundation for Neoclassicism (Gardner & Kleiner, 2010). Propagandas are aimed at convincing the citizens of the particular policies as well as create social norms through endorsing particular social behaviors. David had developed his own symbolic language, although he had detailed a technique to represent the inner ideas and situations in the society. His works on paintings demonstrated the allure of classical and revival art, that was noticeable in his style and political symbolism. David’s art was integrated in his limitless and fantastic sense of imagination with his painstaking and perfect technique of painting and was influenced by historical occurrences, family, politics and life experiences. Through this art, David tries to instill a sense of sacrifice among the people by promoting loyalty in France. As a result, a number of exceptional heroes came out to defend their country during the French Revolution. The potency of his wall artwork had the capacity to transform, bolster, and act as instruments of redemption as illustrated in the most of his artwork. The painting was modified and simplified to create inform, which would address the general audience (Gardner & Kleiner, 2010). According to Gardner and Kleiner (2010, p. 393 ); The visual imagery also appealed to them as effective propaganda for reinforcing their control. As the wealthiest individuals in their regions, princes possessed the means to commission numerous artworks and buildings. Thus, art functioned in several capacities as evidence of princely sophistication and culture, as a form of prestige or commemoration, as public education and propaganda, as a demonstration of wealth, and as a source of visual pleasure. Benjamin West’s painting of The Death of General Wolfe was a recent occurrence that depicts deep emotion. Every face in the painting shows anguish that binds them together in a dreadful occurrence. The hands are held together in what appears to be prayer or request for assistance. In the painting, the sky is half clear and half tempestuous to reflect victory over the French and Wolfe’s death respectively (Gardner & Kleiner, 2010). Further, the painting has religious facets that show the warrior as martyr who was ready to sacrifice for his country. The image portrays Wolfe being badly wounded and dying. These are individuals who sacrificed their life for the sake of their society. The propaganda tone used in the painting was used by many societies when they were being colonized by Europe. Actually, the paintings acted as a source of inspiration to the warriors who were sacrificing their lives for the sake of their nations. West discovered a way of representing his inner mind apart from the symbolic language that he developed through his painting. The relationship between science and religion influenced Benjamin to create some of the memorable paintings. Evidently, his paintings evince fascinations for Renaissance and classical art. In the present day mankind, misleading rumours about tomorrow’s fate have gloomed ones thinking, to the level of instilling fear and cowardice about the human existence. Crating sp. propaganda through paintings helped in attaining loyalty and confidence among the people. Incidences such as war and colonization were prevalent in the society. This required better tricks to help in winning the battles against the enemies. These disagreements are likely to control the understanding and the experience of familiarity in our ways of life (Gardner & Kleiner, 2010). An authority that results in achievements catches great admiration, although in some instances, there is blame due to creation state where people can easily take control of their destiny. Social morality fosters the reasoning of the soul so that they are able to administer their affairs in life. With this in mind, the urge for power grows and results to unfair practices in the society. This is because the basic of it all is that such prophecies exist in the history of misleading thoughts of humankind. Moreover, human life is ending on a daily basis in a number of ways with some being victims of self-destruction while others play to natural forces causing mass destruction to all inhabitants of the affected environment. Propaganda is essentially political tools meant to align people’s thinking towards the ideas of the initiator. Conclusion A number of artists admire West’s and David’s approach on personalizing the political ideas. Creating a sense of independence, commemorating a life event, expressing an aspect of ones personality, rebelling, spirituality, a sense of control and improving body aesthetics are actions that further differentiate the purpose of art. Art helps to influence and display idealistic commitment to another is activities that further incorporate an individual or certain actions. Propaganda helps in creating awareness among the people through a perceived thinking. David’s images were able to enlighten, confound, perplex and intrigue everyone who encountered them. Artists use paintings as propaganda to influence their thoughts and sway individuals to think along with them. References Kleiner, F. S. (2010). Gardners art through the ages : the Western perspective. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Read More