There is a neoclassical painting that suspends on the wall at the National Gallery of Art In Washington DC, called The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries (Fig 1.) that was painted by Jacques-Louis David in 1812. The painting showcases a portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte as the French Emperor. However, the embedded symbols—like the honeybees, books written by Plutarch, classic French military uniform, map scrolls and dripping wax candles—in the composition communicates political power. The author Allen Forrest who wrote Propaganda and the Legitimation of Power in Napoleonic France contends, “Art and music furnished him [Napoleon] with powerful vectors of propaganda, and he understood the force of visual representation both in painting
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Political ideologies like communism and socialism had influenced the (Breton) movement. Robert Short in the article The Politics of Surrealism, 1920-36 says, “The interest of the movement’s political history lies in its tenacious efforts, set forth in highly articulate polemic writing, to associate its intellectual, artistic, and moral preoccupation with the aims and methods of international communism.” Communism is a political platform that promotes the ideal that all material goods are publically owned and each individual works, and is compensated according to their skills and necessities in a society. Because communism majorly impacted the ideologies of Surrealism, this influenced both the visual compositions of paintings and the fictional narratives of literature. Breton honed in on the loyalty that artist pledged towards Surrealism, and used it to ignite a political agenda. For example, Breton penned at the end of The Surrealist Manifesto, “Surrealism…. asserts our complete nonconformism clearly enough so that there can be no question of translating it, at the trial of the real world, as evidence for the defense…Surrealism is the ‘invisible ray’ which will one day enable us to win out over our opponents.” The expression “nonconformism”—when compared to the rest of the words—seizes the attention of the reader because it is italicized. Additionally, the suggestion of the word evokes the desire to be an individual and not to follow the standards of society. Pair ‘nonconformism’ with the phrase “win out over our opponents,” and this suggests a revolution. Therefore, one of Breton’s main goals for Surrealism was to expand communism via art and literature to ignite an insurgency. In order to advance the mission of Surrealism, Breton would have to travel internationally to forge “transatlantic” connections with other artistic
Political ideologies like communism and socialism had influenced the (Breton) movement. Robert Short in the article The Politics of Surrealism, 1920-36 says, “The interest of the movement’s political history lies in its tenacious efforts, set forth in highly articulate polemic writing, to associate its intellectual, artistic, and moral preoccupation with the aims and methods of international communism.” Communism is a political platform that promotes the ideal that all material goods are publically owned and each individual works, and is compensated according to their skills and necessities in a society. Because communism majorly impacted the ideologies of Surrealism, this influenced both the visual compositions of paintings and the fictional narratives of literature. Breton honed in on the loyalty that artist pledged towards Surrealism, and used it to ignite a political agenda. For example, Breton penned at the end of The Surrealist Manifesto, “Surrealism…. asserts our complete nonconformism clearly enough so that there can be no question of translating it, at the trial of the real world, as evidence for the defense…Surrealism is the ‘invisible ray’ which will one day enable us to win out over our opponents.” The expression “nonconformism”—when compared to the rest of the words—seizes the attention of the reader because it is italicized. Additionally, the suggestion of the word evokes the desire to be an individual and not to follow the standards of society. Pair ‘nonconformism’ with the phrase “win out over our opponents,” and this suggests a revolution. Therefore, one of Breton’s main goals for Surrealism was to expand communism via art and literature to ignite an insurgency. In order to advance the mission of Surrealism, Breton would have to travel internationally to forge “transatlantic” connections with other artistic