Friedrich Burgdorfer Essays, Week 1
This statement, which was coined by Adolf Hitler and which he placed over the entrance to the House of German Art, already shows the high importance that was attached to art in the Third Reich. The National Socialists regarded the government takeover of 1933 as a cultural revolution, with which the basis for "a new and true German art" was laid. This new German art was to bring about a fundamental turning point in the entire cultural life of the nation, "the greatness of the new German era born out of blood and soil, out of National Socialist attitudes and worldview", to give expression and be "the cultural basis for the first essentially German nation state for the centuries to come ".
Since the creation of art in the Third Reich as an expression of national culture was subject to the authoritarian framework and demands of the political system, the art created during the Third Reich was denigrated after 1945 as amateur "Nazi art" and qualified as "kitsch" or "political propaganda". This chapter of German art history is still either hushed up or, at best, dealt with by collective condemnation and with simplifying explanations, such as: The creative and talented artists opposed to the regime created "great art", whereas the "opportunistic" and "at best mediocre Nazi artists”, bowed to the ideological dictation of art and therefore did not produce art but "pre-formed ideology ".
Due to the supposed cultural vacuum that arose during the National Socialist era, politicians, large sections of the public, and even the majority of art historians today reject a critical and objective discussion of art in the Third Reich. Anyone that tries to initiate such a discussion or to make works from this era - which are mostly kept under wraps in magazines - accessible to the public in exhibitions, is met with bitter resistance.
"Are these works of art or just historical documents? Some still think of them as the symbol of evil, through which National Socialist ideas could revive. Others fear paintings of this kind will once again appeal to a larger audience."
Looking at the art of these years without prejudice, taking into account the conflicts between the ideologically opposed views of art, it quickly becomes clear that there was no "Nazi art" in the sense propagated today. The art of this era was much more complex and varied than it is depicted after 1945 and still is today. The year 1933 did not mean a decisive revolutionary break in artistic and aesthetic principles; most of the artists recognized in the Third Reich had previously been successful. This continuity can also be seen in the fact that art in the Third Reich in all its forms of expression was not a monolithic and uniform block, but that a multitude of directions and currents existed with great differences in inspiration and style. The "official" art of the Third Reich was "no better and no worse than what was shown in the so-called academy exhibitions before 1933".
Since the beginning of the 20th century, particularly opposing ideological tendencies had determined the struggle between two basic directions: avant-garde artistic modernism and artistic conservatism. After the hegemony of avant-garde art had developed in the 1920's and conservative art ideology had been pushed back significantly, the year 1933 marked a fundamental change of course in so far as the conservative artistic forces received official support and commissions based on the art politics of the state and the party. After 1945 there was another art ideological turning point in the opposite direction.
The Munich "House of German Art" with its history and exhibitions has been a focal point of these developments. It is to be examined and illustrated by way of examples below, utilizing the little-known and mostly swept under the carpet artworks. Facts, as well as the art works, often ostracized without documentation, have been forgotten.
Looking at the art of these years without prejudice, taking into account the conflicts between the ideologically opposed views of art, it quickly becomes clear that there was no "Nazi art" in the sense propagated today. The art of this era was much more complex and varied than it is depicted after 1945 and still is today. The year 1933 did not mean a decisive revolutionary break in artistic and aesthetic principles; most of the artists recognized in the Third Reich had previously been successful. This continuity can also be seen in the fact that art in the Third Reich in all its forms of expression was not a monolithic and uniform block, but that a multitude of directions and currents existed with great differences in inspiration and style. The "official" art of the Third Reich was "no better and no worse than what was shown in the so-called academy exhibitions before 1933".
Since the beginning of the 20th century, particularly opposing ideological tendencies had determined the struggle between two basic directions: avant-garde artistic modernism and artistic conservatism. After the hegemony of avant-garde art had developed in the 1920's and conservative art ideology had been pushed back significantly, the year 1933 marked a fundamental change of course in so far as the conservative artistic forces received official support and commissions based on the art politics of the state and the party. After 1945 there was another art ideological turning point in the opposite direction.
The Munich "House of German Art" with its history and exhibitions has been a focal point of these developments. It is to be examined and illustrated by way of examples below, utilizing the little-known and mostly swept under the carpet artworks. Facts, as well as the art works, often ostracized without documentation, have been forgotten.
Editors' Note:
Each week, I will strive to "translate" one section of the lengthy Burgdorfer essays at the beginning of the Haus der Deutschen Kunst books. Book 1 for example has a 29 page essay in 17 parts. 4 months for book 1 is a little long, but it's not like I'm getting paid, so if it takes a year to complete, I'm okay with that. Also, I am simply typing the German into Google Translate and doing my best to have what comes out makes sense. If I mangle it, I apologize. None of the material seems too dense, it's just basic history so far. I like getting the information from a German's mouth, and not the Wikipedia version filtered through the anti-German lens.
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