Modern Europe 1648-1992

By Kehi

  • "View of the Chateau Versailles in 1668"

    "View of the Chateau Versailles in 1668"
    Painted in 1668 by the Baroque artist Pierre Patel, this is a work of monarchical absolutist propaganda. Commissioned by Louis XIV himself, the artwork was meant to relay the power and prestige of the new political center in France set in Versailles. Imbuing the painting with divine connotations, Patel further legitimizing the monarch's divine and rightful rule and employs techniques of symmetrical exaggeration. The result is a sense of political and natural harmony.

  • “The Bombardment of All the Thrones of Europe and the Fall of the Tyrants for the Happiness of the Universe”

    “The Bombardment of All the Thrones of Europe and the Fall of the Tyrants for the Happiness of the Universe”
    Drawn by an unknown artist in 1792, this political cartoon demonstrates the exaggerated satirical nature of French Revolutionist propaganda. Distributed during the First Republic, the cartoon depicts a vulgar yet poignant political response to European backlash against the French Revolution. In the drawing, The National Assembly can be seen defacating on their European rivals who are explicitely tied to absolutism.

  • “Comic Map of the Seat of War with Entirely New Features”

    “Comic Map of the Seat of War with Entirely New Features”
    This satirical map published in 1854 by English artist Thomas Onwhyn is one of many satirical maps created in the second half of the nineteenth century. This particular map primarily depicts a biased view of the Crimean War through a visual representation of European countries as animals. In this artistic genre, stereotypes are built in regards to the characterization of foreign nations. Russia is represented by a despotic bear, England is drawn as fierce lion and France is an eagle.

  • “The Eternal Jew”

    “The Eternal Jew”
    This is an antisemitic exhibition organized by Nazi Party in Munich in 1937. The exhibition was revealed at the height of the implementation of antisemitic policies in Germany. The museum exhibit was meant to imbue fear and anxiety of Jewish people into the visitors, as a major theme of the exhibition centered on the "concrete" Jewish ties to Bolshevism. Painted in a melting pot of stereotypes, Jewish peopple were conveyed as a threat to German society.