Art and power: their influence on each other and interaction

Throughout the history of civilization one can trace an interesting and quite natural connection - the interaction of art and power. It would seem, how can two completely different spheres of human life affect one another? But nevertheless, when considering categories such as art and power, it becomes obvious that they are much closer than it is seen from the beginning. They both influence the will and emotions of a person, changing them and subordinating a specific goal.

How Art Affects Power

In order to understand the nature of the interaction between the political system and creativity, it is necessary to know what they are.

Power is the ability and ability to exert a certain influence on the behavior and activities of people through a set of various means.

Art - the most important part of cultural life, a kind of spiritual and practical mastering of the world and the interrelationships in it.

How can these categories interact with each other?

Art is the embodiment of a flight of fantasy, a manifestation of freedom and the creative spirit of man. Nevertheless, it was often used by the powerful to achieve certain political and religious goals. How did this happen? The bottom line is that both art and power are capable of capturing the minds of the people and imposing a certain line of behavior on it. Thanks to the works of outstanding sculptors, poets and artists, the leaders of the countries strengthened their authority by belittling opponents, and various cities maintained their fame and prestige.

Art makes it possible to translate into reality rituals and religious symbols, to create ideal and majestic images of rulers. They were endowed with extraordinary qualities, wisdom and heroism, which undoubtedly aroused admiration and respect of citizens.

Thus, one should not underestimate the influence of the authorities on art, which became an excellent tool in establishing a certain political regime. Unfortunately, often the common people became victims of deception, which was achieved through the work of poets and writers.

Art and power in antiquity

If we consider the interaction of these two branches of social life, it becomes obvious that many centuries ago this was a very important tool for influencing people. Especially strong art and power depended on each other in ancient superpowers. So, the Roman Empire of the heyday is famous for its sculptures depicting emperors and generals. We see their perfect physique, classical facial features, full of courage and courage, and involuntarily respected by them. What can we say about their contemporaries?

Very interesting intertwined art and power in ancient Egypt. His religion of Zoroastrianism endowed the pharaohs with the power of mythical creatures. Often they were portrayed with the human body and the animal's head. This emphasized their divine power.

Middle Ages

If we consider art and power in a later period, then it is possible to trace significant changes. The techniques of sculptors, artists and poets became more sophisticated, since it became increasingly difficult to influence the consciousness of a person . Now writers commissioned the royal administration to create ornate poems, in which they described feats and majestic deeds of the ruling persons. The art of those times gave mankind a lot of outstanding artifacts. So, Napoleon I, striving to perpetuate the strength and power of his army, ordered the creation of the Triumphal Arch in the center of Paris , which has been perfectly preserved to the present day.

The balance of power and art in our country

The history of interaction of these categories in Russia rises to the 15th century. At this time, Byzantium, which was the heir of Ancient Rome, fell under the onslaught of the barbarians. The cultural and orthodox center of Eurasia became Moscow. Our state was experiencing rapid geographical and economic growth, which required the creation of an appropriate image. The court of the Moscow Tsars became a haven for outstanding cultural and religious figures. These included talented icon painters, architects, musicians and builders.

The relevance of art to power today

Of course, everything has changed in the modern world, but the topic (power and art) described remains very important and relevant. The interrelation of these branches of activity is especially strong during periods of significant political and socio-economic changes. Now there is practically no censorship, which means that anyone who aspires to express his thoughts and ideas through art can do it without fear of being punished. This is a very important breakthrough, concerning the freedom of creativity and spirit.

How does art affect the power of our time? Now these two concepts are very much separated from each other, because people can get reliable and complete information about the internal and foreign policies of their state, as well as openly express their views. There is no need to influence the minds of the population with the help of beautiful poems and sculptures in order to strengthen authority.

Exhibitions on the theme of the influence of power on art

Periodically in different cities there are exhibitions that cover this problem. They are of great interest to those who are fond of history and political science. Not so long ago a similar exhibition was held in the Swedish museum. It bore the symbolic name "Art for the rulers." It was possible to see more than 100 expositions with the participation of 400 exhibits from different eras.