Art and ideology

In the 20th century one of the most important issues connected with art was and still remains the problem of correlation of art and ideology. Ideological systems comprising political, moral and other elements of separate communities and societies often tend to suppress and politicise the freedom of art. Of course this leads to excessive simplification of art in general in accordance with the existing logically ordered system of political ideas that leads to degradation of artistic thinking. As a result of ideological dictation such phenomenon as mass culture appeared that lacked aesthetic attraction and by its nature was a direct continuation of the ideological system itself. A striking example of such ideological art in modern history is the fascist era in Germany or the communist era in the former USSR where ideological principles and directives literally dictated what each form of art should be like and what ideas it should convey to the public. For about 70 years soviet people were deprived of the possibility to create art that wasn't in the spirit of socialist realism. Humanistic and other generally accepted values were substituted by idealistic aims of the existing political system.

In fascist Germany art was intended for psychological suppression of a free personality and propagation of ideas of permissiveness, racial superiority etc, as well as for the deformation of culture in general for the purpose of attainment of certain goals by the state powers. The problem of ideology in art still remains.