THE ART OF “POWER” - THE POWER OF ART - SOME EXAMPLES

Many movements have created an own art for various reasons more or less public: political propaganda, indoctrination, spreading of a secret message, etc.

REGIME SYSTEM:

• FASCISM: Mussolini had an "inconsistent" approach at the art and architecture of his system. Under his power large areas of Rome, rich in ancient monuments, were destroyed to create monumental fascist structures. In other times he preached the "cult" of art of ancient Rome imitating them. Mussolini concepted the art as the domain of visual communication and so a powerful tool for the dissemination of his values and ideals of his system.

• NAZISM: Nazis understood the importance and fascination exerted on the mass of images, so decided to exploit them intensively in his propaganda: Hitler wanted the population surrounded by symbols of power. The art was at the service of power: big avenues were built to allow triumphal military parades, or gigantic domes that could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people for official ceremonies.

• SOVIET SOCIALISM: Socialist realism was a cultural and artistic movement born in the Soviet Union in 1934 and then allargatosi in all socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Its main function was to unify the artistic style and provide a propaganda tool.

RELIGION: Some religious artworks were created to indoctrinate the faithful people such us images, sculputers in the cult places but also ancient maps. Infact during the middle age they used to insert in maps biblical episodes.

OCCULTISM:

• BEATLES: in their album "Sergeant Peppers", among the rappresented heros there is also Aleister Crowley a famous occultist. John Lennon said "The whole idea of Beatles" was of Aleister Crowley.

• PRINCE AND LED ZEPELIN: listening to some of their songs reversed they say you can hear clearly something about the occultism.

• PAINTINGS: in some church we can observe apprarently normal paintings, but actually they're not. They rappresents occult powers.

• MASONRY: this secret international movement has created its own form of art consisting of many enigmatic symbols rich of meaning for its followers. When I was in Edinburgh I visited a masonry graveyard full of symbols represented on each tombstone.