Of course, [younger Russians] understand this art through the prism of repression, but they look at the artists and their esthetics with fresh eyes.
Propanganda casts a wide net that catches not one, but many types of art intended to persuade. One of the most powerful methods of persuasion is through remembrance, or nostalgia. These potent themes can reach far back into the mind and draw memories and emotions from ages past.
Both Russia's Socialist Realism and the ISIS reappropriation of an artist's photographs are taking advantage of nostalgia to gain traction in the public realm. While Socialist Realism uses it to garner financial support and additional audience, ISIS uses nostalgia as a satirical tool, making a mockery of American remembrance to gain members for their own malicious cause.
Both Russia's Socialist Realism and the ISIS reappropriation of an artist's photographs are taking advantage of nostalgia to gain traction in the public realm. While Socialist Realism uses it to garner financial support and additional audience, ISIS uses nostalgia as a satirical tool, making a mockery of American remembrance to gain members for their own malicious cause.