ARTH 4350 - Propaganda and its Discontents: The Ruler Portrait Between Antiquity and Modernity

(crosslisted)
(also CLASS 4751, MEDVL 4350) (HB) (CA-AS)

Fall. 4 credits.

Co-meets with ARTH 6350/CLASS 7751/MEDVL 6350.

B. Anderson.

The installation and dissemination of portraits of living political leaders (“rulers”) is frequently perceived as a hallmark of twentieth-century regimes, especially those labeled as “totalitarian” or “dictatorial.” Likewise, the mockery or destruction of these monuments is seen as a potent act of political resistance. These phenomena, together with the related concept of “propaganda,” have exerted a strong influence on the interpretation of pre-modern ruler portraits. This course will encourage students to think critically about visual cultures of political rule and to develop an account of the distinctions between ancient, medieval, and modern modalities of ruler portraiture and its reception. Our primary case studies will be the late Roman / Byzantine and Soviet states, with ample comparative material drawn from other polities.