“Obey” – Paintings of Propaganda Through History

In a thought-provoking and visually unique project titled Obey, the artist Bartosz Beda explores the world of propaganda. Through a series of small-scale oil paintings on 6×9-inch canvases, the artist examines how propaganda influences education, authority, and control.

Each artwork within Obey reveals how practices of power have shaped societies in different ways across cultures and historical periods. Bartosz Beda tries to answer how the Obey series situates itself within the bigger propaganda narrative, looking at how visual messaging has historically shaped societal beliefs and behaviors – how propaganda varies across cultures and countries.

The Propaganda in “Obey” Paintings

The Obey series analyzes propaganda within learning environments, presented as small oil paintings. One of the inspirations behind the Obey painting series is Mark Twain’s quote, “History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes,” and recent geopolitical events, such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Obey paintings use a monochromatic palette that evokes a sense of distance and separation. The figures emerge blurred, their features obscured or hidden as if they disappear or vanish by integrating with the background. This abstraction is a metaphor for individual identity under the influence of systems, where personal experiences are assigned to a collective ideology.

In one painting, for example, a figure points as if giving instructions while another figure appears to observe.

Historical Evolution of Propaganda

Propaganda is as old as civilization, with roots in ancient empires that used visual art, literature, and architecture to project opinions.

The Romans, for example, used statues and coins bearing the emperor’s image to reinforce loyalty to the state. During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church commissioned art backing religious doctrine.

In the 20th century, governments used posters, films, newspapers, and radio to broadcast public belief and national pride or to demonize the enemy.

During the Cold War, American propaganda concentrated on freedom and consumerism, presenting the United States as a land of opportunity.

In contrast, Soviet propaganda took a different approach, giving citizens a common goal of collectivism, unity, and sacrifice.

Social media has become an everyday tool for quickly mixing and disseminating information, reaching individuals across continents in seconds. Additionally, state-sponsored and controlled broadcasts in all countries serve as a battlefield in the modern world.

Propaganda in the Modern Classroom

History lessons shape national pride and promote specific societal norms. Education remains a direct channel through which ideological messages are given.

This idea is at the heart of Obey’s work, representing children in classroom settings as a symbol of early social training or conditioning and questioning the messages transmitted within the classroom walls.

Are we learning objective facts? Are we consuming manipulated content? Or are we absorbing ideals meant to reinforce group-specific viewpoints? While the message may be unmistakable, the influence of hidden nuances is impactful.

Conclusion: Propaganda’s Muted Effect

By painting children and adults in classrooms, Obey mirrors how propaganda is presented in society. Messages in authoritarian states or subtler narratives in democratic ones are permanent in the human experience, which, as Mark Twain suggested, “doesn’t repeat itself, but often rhymes.” In this sense, Obey’s art series is a call to awareness, suggesting that viewers question the messages they encounter.