Art has been used as a persuasion technique by people in power for centuries. As kings began to rule larger areas, they had to overcome communication issues. Darius the Great of Persia was one such man. Because very few people could read or write, he had stone sculptures created that combined artistic styles from all over the kingdom. This communicated the idea that he admired and respected his people. He also created a symbol for himself that was placed on gold coins to show his leadership.
The man who took control from Darius, Alexander the Great, took this idea one step further. To communicate his power, he used his face. He melted all of the gold coins with Darius's symbol on them and replaced them with coins showing his head. The image of a head is so influential that it still appears on coins around the world today.
Art is not just about power; it can also be used to persuade us to see things in a certain way. The earliest known use of this dates back to the Romans. Augustus asked artists to create an image of him that made people believe he was powerful but not a fighter. However, the art was a lie as he was planning to go to war.
As we can see, the leaders of the past, male and female, used paint, stone and gold. Today, we use digital images but we remain easily influenced by the persuasive power of art.