“The Pope is Antichrist” by Lucas Cranach
The Finnish Maiden
The pictures above are mostly under the propaganda category, since both are trying to tell the viewers and those who properly study the pieces what it was really meant for. For instance, the first picture that tells that the Pope is Antichrist, is most likely telling the people that the Pope at that time has been doing things that were not according to the church’s teaching and is probably asking for taxes and fees that are too much for the poor to handle. It was said that this was commisioned by Martin Luther, so it must have been used in one of his campaigns against the Church and its religion. As for the second picture, it shows a Finnish Maiden, which also represents the country of Finland. I think that the hidden agenda in this work is that since it is used as a symbol of national consciousness and independence, is to bring the Finnish people together though the symbolic meaning of it. I’ve read that the Finnish Maiden was believed to be the human representation of Finland because its pose perfectly matches the way the country is placed and drawn on the map.
I believe that such hidden agendas are appropriate whenever an organization, a group, or an individual wants to tell something to the the people, since they would be able to show it in a very indiscreet way. This would be very nice to apply in, if you are going to start a propaganda or a campaign, especially if the message that you are trying to tell the masses are being monitored or considered as illegal by the eyes of the law. Of course, such hidden agendas are best used if it would be for the progress of the people and if it could actually bring good deeds and effects.
