Art and Politics under Modern Dictatorships

"Did art and politics interact differently in the right-wing military juntas of Latin America and the left-wing communist regimes of Central and Eastern Europe of the late 20th century? Caterina Preda answers this question by comparing the ways in which art and artists were treated in Chile under Augusto Pinochet and Romania under Nicolae Ceausescu. This compelling analysis, which rests on a wealth of information and first-rate familiarity with both countries, has a lot to offer to a wide readership." (Lavinia Stan, Chair, Department of Political Science, St. Francis Xavier University Nova Scotia, Canada) "In a comparison of the cultural policies of two polar opposite dictatorships, Caterina Preda highlights in an intriguing manner the main goal of any authoritarian regime: subjecting society and individuals to an all-encompassing order. While the Pinochet dictatorship spawned a politicized art and a culture of opposition, although it has advocated a de-politicized art and culture, in the case of Ceausescu, a dictatorship desiring a politicized art managed to create a culture of artistic dissidence." (Renee Fregosi, Research Director in Political Science, University Paris Sorbonne-Nouvelle, France)

This book analyzes the relationship between art and politics in two contrasting modern dictatorships. Through a detailed look at the Chilean and Romanian dictatorships, it compares the different ways in which political regimes convey their view of the world through artistic means.This book analyzes the relationship between art and politics in two contrasting modern dictatorships. Through a detailed look at the Chilean and Romanian dictatorships, it compares the different ways in which political regimes convey their view of the world through artistic means. It examines how artists help \ convey a new understanding of politics and political action during repressive regimes that are inspired by either communism or anti-communism (neoliberalism, traditionalist, conservative). This book demonstrates how artistic renderings of life during dictatorships are similar in more than one respect, and how art can help better grasp the similarities of these regimes. It reveals how dictatorships use art to symbolically construct their power, which artists can consolidate by lending their support, or deconstruct through different forms of artistic resistance.