Ruth D. Post 4

Ruth E. Day

1.

Authoritarian thinkers and regimes found art threatening because of the effect that it could have on people. Art was a way for artists to express their opinions, even if they weren’t in line with the beliefs and opinions of the regime. The worry is that if art depicts immorality then the people viewing the art will be encouraged to act in an immoral manner. This concern is as old as Platonic philosophies. “We would not have our guardians grow up amid images of moral deformity, as in some noxious pasture, and there browse and feel upon many a baneful herb and flower day by day, little by little, until they silently gather a festering mass of corruption in their own soul.” (The Republic, III) Hitler held very similar beliefs to Plato. His idea was that the depiction of sensuality in artwork would promote immoral acts such as homosexuality, prostitution, unchecked sexual activity, and others. This was very dangerous to the order of society. He also felt that modern art, which usually depicted people in a very unrealistic fashion, as dangerous to society. These, also, could corrupt the souls of the innocent by making them think that such fantasies actually exist. “ ‘Works of art’ which cannot be understood in themselves but, for the justification of their existence, need those bombastic instructions for their use, finally reaching that intimidated soul, who is patiently willing to accept such stupid or impertinent nonsense – these works of art from now on will no longer find their way to the German people.” (Hitler) Hitler wanted to ban all art whose purpose was not completely clear. Meanings could be misconstrued or even if they weren’t, the meaning that the artist intended may not be acceptable to Hitler. He was worried that hidden messages may be present in abstract art that he would not be able to discern. For this reason, he created a universal meaning for all modern art and presented it in such that everyone within his power would believe it: modern art was the creation of the insane, who could not help but create distorted figures because that is what their eye actually saw. If this was not the case, then the artist was deliberately trying to deceive the people, which was punishable by law. “If, on the other hand, they themselves do not believe in the reality of such impressions but try to harass the nation with this humbug for other reasons, then such an attempt falls within the jurisdiction of the penal law.” (Hitler) To propagate his views, Hitler commissioned the opening of a degenerate art exhibit that would place modern art in a place of ridicule with wall text that explained why each piece was considered degenerate. With such “evidence” it was hard not to adopt Hitler’s beliefs as one’s own. Authoritarian thinkers and regimes saw art as a means of expression ideal beauty or as a way for the malignant to depict immorality and deformity and thus corrupt the minds and souls of the citizens. Such a thing could not be allowed in an orderly society so the “evil” or “degenerate” art was either banned or set up for ridicule.

2.

I chose to explore the artistic movement of surrealism. What I found most interesting about his area was that it was inspired by Marxist ideals. This may explain some of the hatred Hitler had for such art. The goal of the surrealist movement was to “fuse the conventional, logical view of reality with unconscious, dream experience in order to achieve a ‘super-reality’.” (Grove Art Online) this movement yielded many abstract works that were often confusing to the viewer. They were distortions of reality meant to depict something that was deeper and more emotional. Surrealist artists wanted to express what they believed to be the meaning of existence through art. While exploring the surrealist movement, I came across a very interesting artist by the name of Marc Chagall. Chagall was born to Jewish parents in 1887. In the late 1930’s, he began to create works in response to the rise in Fascism and anti-Semitism. (Grove Art Online) Here are some examples of his work that can be found at Marc Chagall Online:

"Bouquet with Flying Lovers", 1934-1937

"Adam and Eve", 1912

"Bouquet et nu"

"White Crucifixion", 1938

As you can see, these paintings are very abstract. In “Adam and Eve” the viewer has no idea what the people pictured are doing or even if they are in fact people. He uses elements from cubism as well as surrealism to create a very powerful work of art that can be construed as sensual. The human body is interpreted as a collage of many different shapes and colors. One of the figures appears blue while the other, yellow. “Bouquet with Flying Lovers” embodies surrealism. This image seems as if it comes from a dream. You cannot see the bodies of the lovers, only the faces. This would lead the viewer to interpret that the human body is not important. The faces are because they are the window to what is inside and the true meaning of what it is to be human. The embracing lovers could make the work seem sensual, especially with the addition of the flowers in the foreground. “Bouquet et nu” is a very abstract, almost childish piece of art. There are people floating in the sky and a boy waves at a woman on the other side of what appears to be a hedge. The human body is not depicted as at all what it really looks like but just as an abstract form. The “White Crucifixion” is something Chagall painted in response to Fascism and ant-Semitism. The suffering Christ is depicted as wearing a Jewish prayer robe with over what appears to be Hanukiah. The body of Christ is somewhat distorted and the background images depict the sufferings of the Jews during the 1930s and 40s.

1. The concept of degeneracy is the idea that certain people and certain objects that are corrupted by immorality can spread their “disease” to everyone else within the society. “Degeneration was, in its modern sense, a medical term used during the second half of the nineteenth century to identify the condition of those who had departed for the ‘normal’ because of shattered nerves, inherited abnormalities, or behavioral or sexual excess.” (Mosse 26) Hitler targeted degenerate art in particular since it was believe that such art could easily deceive and therefore spread the degeneration more quickly. Modern art was considered degenerate art not only because it depicted deformed humans and fantasy worlds but also because it was not German Art. In Hitler’s opinion, degenerate art did not connect itself to any nation or culture but only to a certain time period. He felt that this allowed “non-German” art to be misconstrued as art and corrupt the minds of the German people. Hitler believed that art “is not founded on time, but on peoples.” (Hitler) He believed that German art was far superior to modern art because it was eternal. “…there existed in Germany a so-called ‘modern art,’ that is, to be sure, almost every year another one, as the very meaning of this word indicates. … ‘German Art,’ and this art shall and will be of eternal value,” (Hitler) Degenerate art was believed to be created by those who were already affected by degeneracy. Hitler believe that all of these artists were either insane, Jewish, or Bolshevist when in actuality, very few were. It was said that degeneracy was caused by sexual excess and the corruptions of Jews and communists. “The paintings on display were presented as the work of madmen disfigured by sexual excess, the represented Marxist and Jewish attacks on all that was German.” (Mosse 31)
2. Hitler saw degeneracy in the Chagall art not only because Chagall was a Jew and created works that were obviously in protest of the Nazi movement, but also because he depicted the human for in a deformed fashion and created fantasy worlds. Also, he created images that did not openly display their subject. Viewers could interpret this art in any way they wished, which was very dangerous to a totalitarian state. Also, Chagall’s work was very abstract and fantastical so he would have either been what Hitler called “insane” or a person deliberately trying to deceive others.
3. I think that the body in art was the main site for accusations of degeneracy because the image of the body can be manipulated in so many ways. It can lengthened, shortened, or misshapen so that the person looks disfigured. It can be downplayed so as to emphasize facial expressions and emotions. It can be put in erotic poses to incite lust in the viewer and encourage immorality. All of these manipulations can be used to convey different messages. To Hitler, most of them conveyed degeneracy. Also, physical perfection of the human, especially the male, body was very important to the Nazis. The perfect German man was hairless, perfectly chiseled, and bronzed and it was these types of bodies that Hitler believed should be showcased and worshipped, not those that were disfigured and erotic. Hitler saw Germany itself as a body, one that was made up of all of the German people. If the German people succumbed to the degeneration of the human body, then Germany itself would also be vulnerable to this disease. “Through the defeat, an already thoroughly diseased body experienced the total impact of its inner decomposition.” (Hitler)
4. George Mosse’s article concentrated on the Nazi belief that beauty with sensuality is a threat to social order and a rejection of social and sexual norms. “Beauty with sensuality presented a danger to society because of what it symbolized, namely a revolt against respectability as a principle of unity and order.” (Mosse 25) Throughout history, sexuality has been views as a private thing. Making it public is indecent and immoral and encourages others to engage in fornication, prostitution, and homosexuality. “The enemies of respectability, it was said, could not control themselves: they were creatures of instinct, with unbridled passions.” (Mosse 25) For this reason, sensuality within art was considered degenerate within the Nazi party. Artistic beauty had to be completely devoid of anything sensual. That’s not to say that they banned nudity. On the contrary, nudity, especially of men, was the most common form of German art. However, the purpose of nudity was not to arouse but to be an example of the perfect German body. “Sensuality was transcended by an alignment with Greek form figures that could be worshipped but neither desired nor loved.” (Mosse 28) Any artistic figure that portrayed beauty and sensuality was labeled degenerate. It was dangerous in the eyes of the Nazis and could promote immorality and social unrest. It was very important to Hitler that the art of the Germans should uphold the morality of the state and be in alignment with soicietal norms. “Beauty without sensuality was demanded of artists and sculptors, a beauty that had to reflect the generally accepted moral standards that the Nazis championed as their own.” (Mosse 25) My first two examples of Chagall’s paintings are artworks that would have gone against this Nazi idea of beauty without sensuality. “Adam and Eve” appears to depict a man and a woman embracing in a very sexual manner. The bodies tend to flow into each other so that one does not know where one ends and the other begins, as if they were engaged in sexual activity. “Bouquet with Flying Lovers” shows a man and a woman embracing as they are “flying” just outside a window. One could interpret this as the subconscious experience of having sex. These sorts of images were not acceptable in Nazi Germany. Sexuality was for the private spear, not the public. Putting it there could have dangerous consequences.

3.

These are two examples of paintings created by Colombian artist Francisco Botero depicting stylized renditions of the prisoner abuse by American guards at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Botero created over 80 of these paintings, all featuring Botero’s signature chubby people. He based these not off of the photographs that were released during the scandal but on written reports of it. They are not meant to depict exact events and methods of torture but to portray the physical, spiritual, and emotional sufferings of the prisoners. The bodies shown in these paintings are monstrous; they are much larger than were the actual bodies of the Abu Ghraib prisoners and guards. This art could be considered art because it depicts the polar opposite of perfection. It shows the dark side of the American efforts in Iraq. If the United States was a totalitarian nation, such images would be banned. Instead, they are showcased to prevent against other acts against human dignity by any American but especially the soldiers who are supposed to represent us. If this were applied to Nazi Germany, the equivalent would be someone painting graphic images that portray the pain of those in concentration camps. Obviously, if they were put on open display as these are, the paintings would be destroyed and the artist put in a concentration camp himself. This art has political ramifications because it is anti-war and encourages one to sympathize with the “enemy”. It makes Americans question whether what we are doing in Iraq is moral.