Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that art and politics often go hand in hand, though usually artists seek to expose the hypocrisy of ruling elites and so produce art that deliberately fails to meet with the approval of the leaders. The writer notes that at times, governments make use of art and artists for propaganda purposes, a process known from the various posters used by the Nazis and the Communists to promote their ideas. The American government has made use of art in a similar way, including art that otherwise would not find official approval. The writer concludes that the history of the way art has been used by the government suggests that the art itself is viewed in terms of its usefulness more than its actual content or any aesthetic base it may have, and primarily modern art has been used to counter the more staid and more politicized art in support of enemy ideologies.

Outline:
Introduction
Modern Art
Art and Politics
Art and American Taste
Art and Ideology
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The modern art movement diverged from the more accepted representational art preferred by most political leaders, and even though much modern art was considered too opaque to be understood and in some ways decadent, it was embraced as a propaganda tool by the U.S. government through agencies such as the CIA during the Cold War period. Most Americans are unaware of the way this process was undertaken and used and might be surprised by it, given the more prosaic attitude taken toward art by political leaders to this day. Analysts point out that many of these programs were conducted quite openly just the same, though even observers aware of the program might wonder why modern art was chosen and how it was used to benefit American interests."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bigsby, Christopher W.E. The Cambridge Companion to Modern American Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
• Coad, Emma Dent. Spanish Design and Architecture. New York: Rizzoli, 1990.
• Cummings, Richard. "Art and the CIA." LewRockwell.com (2002), http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/cummings3.html.
• Goldhammer, Arthur and Serge Gilbaut. How New York Stole the Idea of Modern Art. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983.
• Harvey, David. The Condition of Postmodernity. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Basil Blackwell, 1989.

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