Death/Destruction - Propaganda

by Lainey

In the Canva article, "50 Powerful Examples of Visual Propaganda and the Meanings Behind Them", the viewer explores an array of propagandistic artwork created between World War I and the present day. Author Caitlin Jordan comments on the often negative reputation the word "propaganda" has, concluding that propaganda can have the power to convey positive messages and encourage change. 

The article opens up with an image of Uncle Sam; 

"What’s now regarded as the most famous poster in the world, the I Want You poster first appeared on the cover of Leslie’s Weekly on July 6, 1916 (as the United States was entering World War I) with the title, What Are You Doing for Preparedness? The poster showed Uncle Sam pointing directly at the viewer, compelling them to action."

The rest of of the article follows the same format. The image descriptions are concise, and the design minimalist. From anti-nazi to Rosie the Riveter, a selection of (mostly wartime) propaganda is featured. 

"This simple poster from the Second World War sent the clear message to the civilians of the Allied Powers that Hitler’s Germany had means of listening into their communications."

    I have always been interested in activist and propaganda artwork, so I found the article interesting and enjoyed learning more about influential propaganda. The format of the website itself wasn't something I enjoyed, because  I couldn't read about the image and study it. I think the images the author chose were effective in introducing the viewer to propagandistic art and made a great point in saying that not all propaganda is negative.

Questions for class:
Do you think propaganda has the potential to be positive?
Do you think the image has more power over the text in propagandistic art? Or vice versa?