” The architecture produced under the influence of an idealising theory of the arts might be described as a form of propaganda. The word is an alarming one, for we are inclined to believe that high art should be free of ideology and admired purely for its own sake.
Yet the term `propaganda` refers to the promotion of any doctrine or set of beliefs and in and of itself should carry no negative connotations. That the majority of such promotion has been in the service of odious political and commercial agendas is more an accident of history than any fault of the word. A work of art becomes of piece of propaganda whenever it uses its resources to direct us towards something, insofar as it attemps to enhance our sensitivity and our readiness to respond favourably to any end or idea.”
Related articles
