Propaganda is a systematic effort to manipulate other people’s beliefs, attitudes, and actions by means of symbols i.e. words, gestures, banners, monuments, postal stamps, etc. The propagandist has a specific set of goals and in order to achieve that, he deliberately selects facts, arguments, and symbols to present them in a way that plays with people’s emotions to gain the desired outcomes. Since the 20th century, propaganda is considered a manipulative term while historically it was a neutral term.
Propaganda is different from educating the masses through the dissemination of information. An educator presents multiple facets of an issue and welcomes different opinions pertaining to it. He doesn’t impose his beliefs on the audience and they are free to choose sides. However a propagandist, on the other hand, actively tries to present his beliefs as the sole truth and presents the information in a distorted manner to make it more persuasive to his target audience. It must be noted, however, that a given propagandist may look upon himself as an educator, and may believe that he is uttering the purest truth. “Education” for one person may be “propaganda” for another.
There are two ways in which the mass perception of people is changed. The primary technique used is known as Propaganda wherein the appeal is made on the basis of emotions. The secondary technique is Branding wherein an appeal is made highlighting a specific unique fact. Where the population is more emotionally-driven, propaganda becomes an effective tool for spreading messages whereas in places where the population is more reason-based, branding is used mainly to convey the message.
For centuries, art has been wielded by governments, leaders, and rulers in the kingdom, in glorifying their plans and persuading a mass towards the common political ideology and goals. As we enter into another year of global and political uncertainty, there is a shift in the methods and methodology of promoting propaganda through art and deforming the earlier art pieces. While propaganda often manifests itself in writing, film, speech, government, reports, and the rewriting of history, it can be most persuasively and powerfully depicted through pieces of art. Art, as a powerful form of expression and with the feature of the subjectivity of interpretation has the potential to cover and flame the positive as well as a negative idea at a large scale in a fraction of seconds. Through this analysis, we intend to wrap the ideation, methods, and sight of art in propagating certain political ideologies, beliefs, and value systems while persuading the mass at once.
In history, propaganda has often been employed negatively by the powerful to sway and persuade a target audience to think in a particular way about pressing issues. It is used during times of fighting and terror to unite people under a specific cause of action or belief. Visual art, images, and posters have been widely used to convince and persuade the masses. Artists may produce art to propagate their own ideologies or may work in association with powerful organizations to satisfy their personal interests. Artists have relentlessly been used by and linked with powerful regimes and governments to produce propaganda to steer people’s beliefs in the desired direction. World War II is one of the most notorious times involving the development of propaganda and its power to persuade society to accept a belief or rise to action.
One extremely powerful medium of propaganda used by the German government was Art. One example of this is the Degenerate Art Exhibition organized by the German Government showcasing artwork considered un-German and degenerate. This exhibition portrayed not only Jewish art, but also African Americans, figural distortions, and anything the Nazis deemed as derogatory.
The role of the Degenerate Art exhibition was to present a sharp contrast with the House of German Art, the official center of Nazi-approved art. The skillful propagandists opened the 2 exhibitions one day apart from each other in Munich. This political move allowed Germans to distinguish between Nazi-approved, racially pure art and inferior, degenerate art, reaffirming their dislike for modernism. Similar pictures were showcased in both exhibitions but with extreme differences. While the German House tastefully showcased works of art that promoted the Aryan race as visions of health, hard work, family, and community, the Degenerate Art Exhibition did precisely the opposite. Thus, Nazi Germany played with people’s emotions and sentiments to further their own ideologies and course of action.
Another example of art as propaganda can be found during the Vietnam War. Three visuals from early, middle, and late 1965 offer contrasting perspectives on the same issue. The first two show injured US soldiers — supporting each other and looking after their own. This raises a sense of nationalism among Americans. The third depicts a Vietcong prisoner gagged and blindfolded with plumbing tape. This third type of image — the enemy “brought to heel” is the type of image that, for many Americans brought the dawning reality as it was- an invasion by the US into a foreign country. This moved people into realizing the atrocities of war and weighed heavily upon their consciences. War journalism is almost always partisan. The images are usually shown to put forward only one side of the coin.
Thus, it is noticed that in order to achieve a political goal, a State tries to mobilize the masses through cultural polarization by using some form of art. If the economy is transformed, the success will, of course, be fervently celebrated. But if that does not come about, a cultural narrative is being created for political campaigns.
In the above examples, we have seen how propaganda as a tool is used negatively and how the state takes control over the minds of people. In the below examples, we would assess the positive roles of propaganda in the Indian historical context.
Propaganda in Indian History
The Gajapati Kingdom vs Kesari Dynasty
In Kesari Dynasty, the lion has been shown atop the elephant in sculptures in the temple to symbolize that the lion had more strength than the elephant while Gajapati Kingdom depicted Elephant as more powerful. This was done to showcase the superiority of the respective kingdoms among the common people.
Ashoka’ Dhamma
Ashoka Dhamma comprises of a set of edicts that followed the policy of the Mauryan empire at that time. The major focus on these precepts comprises of social and moral precepts rather than philosophical dimensions and religious practices. One of the major edicts prohibited animal slaughter and was implemented in his kitchen to send a strong message to the people. Another one talked about loving animals and plants and how to live peacefully. For example in edict no. 7, Ashoka asked for tolerance towards all religions. In his policy for dhamma, he emphasized self-control and purity of mind.
Recent Propagandas
Nationalism
Recently the idea of repainting the already existing art with an aim to mold it to their relevant propaganda is a new entry into the art market of the nation. When an already existing art form is used as propaganda, people have prior strong views and ideas connected to it, magnifying any changes and additions. One of the recent arts of these lines is the transformation of Bharat Mata into a militant goddess. One of the Indian Express articles stated that “The nation, conceptualized as Bharat Mata, provides a solution. To the RSS, it merges the Hindu with the nation, but for millions of non-RSS Indians, Bharat Mata is larger in its symbolism. In The Discovery of India, Jawaharlal Nehru narrates in fascinating detail how during his travels, millions of rural peasants, regardless of background, described India as Bharat Mata. Even today, rural Muslims may not object to the concept of “Bharat Mata.”
Recently Govt of Gujarat showed its intent to build Sardar Patel’s Statue of Unity in 2013 and it was completed and inaugurated in 2018. The purpose of the statute was to give due recognition to Sardar Patel and also to show a message of unity among Indians as Patel was represented as a symbol of unity because of his contribution to uniting 552 princely states at the time of independence. This Statue had both propaganda and branding. It asked people to support it as this will be the largest statue built in the world while another set of people conveyed the message of Patel’s role in Independence.
While a large section of society was still against the huge investment in the statue but the time-tested study has shown that entities like Museums, Statues, and likewise have a positive externality, and hence investments in these seem very fruitful in the long run.
Another peculiar example regarding branding is how the image of Modi has been projected. He has been shown as born into a poor family who used to sell tea at railway stations and left his family to live a life of an ascetic. In a country where people connect to poverty as most of them have faced or seen in their lifetime, it was positive propaganda. Another aspect is that tea is a common man’s drink and the railway is the usual mode of commuting so most people could relate to him when he spoke about selling tea. The sign which Modi gave when people got to know that he doesn’t have a family relates to the fact that he won’t be corrupt. Another aspect that was highlighted then was the Gujarat model of development where it was seen as if Modi’s policies had a key role in the development of the state.
Art in Logos of Government Schemes
Art has played a crucial role in reframing the image of important schemes that Indian governments have introduced especially after 2014. Using a creative and appealing logo plays a crucial role in shaping and convincing the masses about the strength of the program.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan
The Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan launched in 2014 by the Indian government uses Gandhi’s glasses in the logo. This instantly establishes a connection with the audience who has a reverence for Gandhi, also considered the Father of the Nation. Gandhi himself was a believer in clean India as he had mentioned that “sanitation is more important than independence”. For him, cleanliness was of utmost importance for physical well-being and formed an integral part of the Gandhian way of living.
Digital India
Another persuasive logo is of Digital India, which at first sight gives you an image of connectivity and reach of the internet and this idea of influence mass at one didn’t come from an individual called Rana Bhowmik. The government extended the idea of propagating their project to individuals by holding a competition for designing the logo and submitting it with the tagline for which in itself they designed a poster. There is a meta-level propagation of political propaganda.
Make In India
Make In India was one of the flagship programs of the Modi government in 2014 and they have branded the scheme with a logo depicting a lion which is made of manufacturing tools. The lion is a symbol of strength and also relates to Ashoka’s pillar at Sarnath. Buddha’s sermon was known as ‘Lion’s roar, i.e. lion also symbolizes wisdom. In this way through a logo, a lot of meaning is communicated which appeals to the mass audience.
Skill India
Putting emphasis on the concept of Indians being skillful through the logo of pencil and spanner, and influencing the citizen that the program aims at intellect and working skills benefit which will eventually lead to employment and better and improved skilled individuals. The Whole image is enclosed inside a computer, intended to give it a technical skills cherry on top. Culminating all the 3 objects in the logo gives a larger picture of signifying the aim of technically, physically, and mentally skilled citizens in a country.
Influential Figures to Support Propaganda
Ingratiation is a psychological technique in which an individual attempts to influence another person by becoming more likable to their target with a heroic figure. One of the dominant examples of such figures is Gandhi. The image of Gandhi has always been revolutionary and the father of the nation who worked in flourishing the nation while making enormous sacrifices. Gandhiji has always been known for his accommodative ideology which makes him a likable figure and instills a sense of respect amongst people. The conspicuous use of the Gandhian image to increase the mass appeal of the schemes and the programs is very evident. Major Schemes and programs in which Gandhian idea is used are Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Skill India, and Incredible India ( Land of Gandhi ). The programs with the same concept and Gandhi’s figure have been flagged in the past as well but the present popularisation of schemes with the pretext of Gandhian philosophy of “ cleanliness is next to godliness” and Education through craft creates an illusion of implementing Gandhi’s image of India. Using a Gandhi figure in major posters, banners, and Yojana makes the program inclusive and more acceptable. It provides the idea( programs ) a philosophical authenticity i.e. Gandhian philosophy.
Reformation of Existing Art
There are many anecdotes of reforming an already existing art to present a different idea or mold it to mobilize according to personal objectives and aims. Recently the windscreens of cars, side mirrors of motorcycles, and the backs of auto-rickshaws were flooded with the image of ‘Angry Hanuman’.The figure was interpreted as an image of angry kesariya hanuman, though the creator of it did not intend it to be angry but in attitude. But since there is no limit on interpretations of art, it leads to an oppressive image in favor of certain sections of society.
References :
https://www.britannica.com/topic/propaganda/Signs-symbols-and-media-used-in-contemporary-propaganda
