Esquire's iconic Muhammad Ali cover (page 398, Meggs) makes a visual comparison between a contemporary controversial figure and a famous image from the history of art. Describe how this approach affects the viewer by conveying a powerful philosophical statement without the use of words. Offer one contemporary example of a similar image and do a quick compare/contrast between it and the Esquire cover. (Campaign 2008 is a good stop).

The use of recognizable art imagery is a powerful tool in any form of propaganda. Images such as paintings by the masters of the renaissance have become so widely recognizable that their emotional content can be applied to many various forms of expression and still read with the same message. The philosophical content is carried through. In the example provided, an image of Muhammad Ali is intended to mimic the classical painting of St. Augustine being martyred. The Esquire cover borrows the emotion and connection of the painting, displaying Ali as a martyr, one to be sympathized with. Even taken out of context, despite not knowing much about the controversy that surrounded Muhammad Ali's  career, I instantly understood the message that was intended in this cover.

In the same way, any highly famous and recognizable painting can be recycled to communicate a message. In researching, I found a plethora of satires of paintings by the Renaissance masters, specifically da Vinci. I found it interesting that so many satires had been made of works such as Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. For example, I found a trend that many television shows have followed: creating their own version of the Last Supper using characters from each show. By depicting the various characters in the positions of Christ and the twelve apostles, these images, without any verbal explanation, give a lot of depth to the cast. Without having seen a single episode of many of these shows, I feel that I know a lot about each character's specific role and how they are meant to be perceived by the viewer. Here are just a few of the examples I found:

Original, The Last Supper by da Vinci

House

Looney Tunes

Lost

The Sopranos

The Simpsons