TWO POSTS REQUIRED (BUT PLEASE POST AS OFTEN AS YOU LIKE. DIALOGUE AND LEARN WITH YOUR CLASSMATES.)
In class this week we will practice two things:
Analyzing and interpreting the significance of an historical event, the Degenerate Art Exhibit in Munich in 1937.
Identifying points for comparing and contrast between two works.
FIRST POST (300 word minimum)
FIRST: In the case study, The Degenerate Art Exhibit, 1937, read and view the required material about the Degenerate Art Exhibit in Munich in 1937. Also, review the other required material in the other case studies.
SECOND: DESCRIBE THE GENERAL CONTEXT OF THIS EXHIBIT USING THE QUESTIONS ‘WHEN’, ‘WHERE’, ‘WHO’ and ‘WHAT’ as guides (with regard to this event one should examine who put the event on, what art and which artists were ridiculed, and this will take us into interpretation and analysis of the significance of the event. What was the purpose of the event? What were the consequences? What was this event all about? And this takes us to our reflection.You do not need to cover everything. Work with your classmates to fill out a descriiption of the context of this event.
THIRD: Reflect on the significance of this event. What was the political context? Why, in this case, did art mean so much to political control? That is not an easy question to answer. But think about it. Offer a reflection, or ask questions. This is a learning experience. If you are not sure how to answer. Ask a question.
Try to work together as a class in piecing together the political, social and artistic significance of this event. There are so many points that could be addressed. Explore and learn together.
SECOND POST
Identify and articulate one point of comparison or contrast between ANY TWO WORKS that we have studied in this class. Try to work with at least one the case studies this week–but you may choose ANY TWO works. Develop at least one point of comparison or contrast. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. The attempt itself, as long as it is thoughtful and coherent, will be granted full credit.
Here is an example:
“Picasso created Guernica, at least in part, with a specific social and political purpose in mind, namely, to publicize the horrors of the fascist atrocities in Guernica at the Exposition Universellle in Paris in the summer of 1937. Duchamp’s early Cubist work (e.g. Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2) seems devoid of any political or social purpose. Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2, for instance, seems most focused on artistic technique, borrowing from photography, employing Cubist forms, and depicting motion in ways characteristic of Futurism.”
(This is a point of contrast. And where might one go from here? We might question whether or not Duchamp’s early cubist work is ‘devoid’ of social purpose. Or, we might examine the context of Picasso’s Guernica in 1937 and Duchamp’s Nude Descending Staircase No. 2 in 1912–and its first exhibition in New York in 1913. We might examine relationships between the social and political changes–most notably WWI, the rise of fascism in Europe, the Spanish Civil War. And we might examine what was going on in art at the turn of the century and contrast that with what was happening in the 1930s. Each comparison and contrast takes us deeper into history, ideas, philosophy, events, culture and persons.)
There are many, many ways to do this–select any two works that interest you and give it a try — learn and enjoy.
AGAIN PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS. THIS IS A LEARNING EXERCISE.
RESPOND TO THIS PERSON
Dylan Barrett – Sunday, June 12, 2022, 11:31 AM
Degenerate Art (Entartete Kunst) 1937
Organized by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, Degenerate Art or Entartete Kunst was an exhibit that ran from July 19th -the 30th of November 1937. It was advertised as “culture documents of the decadent work of Bolsheviks and Jews.” This Degenerate art exhibit was an assault on all the artist that had work displayed within it. Held simultaneously alongside another exhibit that was full of Nazi approved works of art and pro-Nazi propaganda, that displayed heroism within the Nazi regime. In the years leading up to the exhibit in 1937, Joseph Goebbels, the minister of propaganda had collected over 16,000 works of art that were either seen as propaganda or that projected the Nazi regime in a negative light. This style of contemporary art was seen as unacceptable, and sanctions were in place to prevent any creation of art not approved by the Nazi party. Over 650 works of art were placed on display within the exhibit. The Paintings not framed or tacked to a wall sideways in attempt to make a mockery of the display. The paintings were often alongside those paintings and artwork from mental patients to force the comparison of insanity within the artist themselves.
The war on contemporary art continued through the fascist regime but I think the time this could be encompassing would predate World War 1. An aspiring painter by the name of Adolph Hitler was rejected twice from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. After fighting in WW1 and Germanys defeat a scorn Adolf Hitler recovering from injuries sustained in battle was on a mission to get revenge. While the Nazi parties climb to power continued artist and schools were persecuted for their works.
I think the significance of this event is that the state of the Nazi party had taken an official public stance. It had made it acceptable to mock and torment others due to a different belief.
This exhibit had one intent and it was to breed hate.
References
Despoina Tsoli. (2021, 09 11). Entartete Kunst: The Nazi Project Against Modern Art. Retrieved from The collector : https://www.thecollector.com/entartete-kunst-nazi-project-against-modern-art/
-Dylan
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS/https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/postwarera/postwar-era/v/communism
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/early-abstraction/cubism/a/picasso-guernica
