The Nazi term for avant-garde art is “degenerative art”. Adolf Hitler considered such art Bolshevik, Jewish, antisocial, and therefore very dangerous for the Aryans.
The fight against degenerates
The cultural policy of the Hitler regime prohibited and destroyed all the works of modernists, and subjected the artists themselves to persecution and repression. The Minister of Propaganda and Education of Germany, Joseph Goebbels , took an active part in the fight against degenerative art .
An exhibition of degenerative art in 1937, held in Berlin, was supposed to show how disgusting and inappropriate such works were in developing Germany. Now you can call these works avant-garde, but at that time the vanguard, that is, going ahead, the Nazis considered themselves.
Degenerative art. Prohibited Pictures
The degenerative art presented in the paintings showed human images distorted, absurd, and even completely absent. This served as the main criterion in the selection of objectionable exhibits. The authors were reproached for the depreciation of the human character and beauty, the unwillingness to inspire with their works, to call for exploits, to raise the spirit of the people.
The perfect man in art and life
The Nazis' concept of a perfect man is similar to the ideas of many philosophers who describe strong, healthy and beautiful people. Even in ancient Greece, the beauty of the human body was celebrated, perfection, both physical and spiritual.
The beautiful human body as the pinnacle of art was explored by Lessing and Hoggart, Leonardo and Durer. In their works even ideal proportions of the human body were described, which again brings us back to the harmony of antiquity that the Nazis promoted. For the sake of this harmony, purity of race, degenerative art was subjected to such severe criticism. It was understood that the paintings, which were condemned, belittled the person, showed degradation of the personality, it was this that was condemned, and not all avant-garde art and innovation.
At one time, Klee offered to leave civilization back to the true roots of humanity, predicted the collapse of Western culture. Indeed, many artists at that time were passionate about ethnic creativity, passion for shamanism and primitiveness of wild tribes. Strange as it may seem, the artists' calls for primitiveness, which were heard everywhere, have eased the accusations of creating degenerative art.
Exterminating evil
Before Hitler, many condemned art, derogating human dignity, an ideal image, but such persecution and extermination did not exist before. Be that as it may, degenerative art has survived, we are still with interest, albeit not always with understanding, examine it at exhibitions. The works condemned by the Nazis, recognized as masterpieces of art. By the way, nobody destroyed the objectionable works, most of the collection of degenerative art, seized by the Nazis, was sold in America, and some were burned in a fire.
Heroes of different times
Any era in the development of culture reserves a clear image of a person, this is the merit of not only artists, but also writers, philosophers, politicians, ideologists. Time changes, along with it the image of the ideal person changes .
Italy of the Renaissance left the image of the condottier, saint, merchant. Germany presents the image of a preacher, a city dweller. England - in the image of a true gentleman. Spain - in a monastic form or in the image of a noble hidalgo. Russia with the image of a builder, intellectual, soldier. Different countries, different eras have their own images, beautiful and vibrant, remembered for their naturalness.
The Nazis, who were trying to build everyone in a line, needed order in everything, including art. Economic advantages coincided with political views, this required confidence, and degenerative art did not give that soil. Not many liked this art, as a result, the bulk of society was carried away by pseudo-classical art in a clearly expressed form. Thus, degenerative art is all that did not fit into the usual perception of the Nazis.
Exhibitions of degenerative art and music
An exhibition held in Munich, designed to show the disgusting nature of such art, caused great excitement; over three million people visited it during the year. At the same time, for greater contrast, in the Palace of Arts, held the exhibition "The Greatest German Art." The exhibition featured more than 900 exhibits, personally selected by Adolf Hitler. The canvases depicted marching soldiers with the flags of Germany, scenes of rural and urban life, nude women with a characteristic Nordic appearance, and much of what could be of interest to a respectable German citizen in the concept of the Nazis. For several years of such persecution, Hitler managed to arouse an unprecedented interest in the art of avant-garde.
In addition to the paintings of painters, degenerative art included sculpture, music, and cinema. Everything that, according to the Nazis, was flawed, unworthy, low, was classified as a degenerative art.
In 1938, the Nazis opened an exhibition of degenerative music in Dusseldorf! Her task was to incite hatred of unnecessary musical styles and their authors. There were cartoons, posters, posters that exposed the objectionable music and its creators. Even special booths were equipped, where one could personally verify that this music was degenerate by listening to it. The flawed works included the works of Stravinsky and Hindemith, Mendelssohn and Offenbach. The three-penny opera was banned, as the author of the music was a Jew. Jazz music was also considered to be damaging, since it belonged to African-Americans, and this is a race undesirable to the Nazi regime.
Flexibility of the set standards
The exhibition was timed to coincide with the Imperial Musical Congress in Dusseldorf to play again in contrast, as was the case with painting. The Nazis were concerned about the pernicious influence of United States music on German citizens. But still, when choosing candidates for degenerates, the Third Reich acted with an eye on foreign policy. A vivid example of this was the Hungarian antifascist composer Bartok. Despite all his remarks about the Hitler regime, he was not only not banned, but also continued to perform his works throughout the country, since the Hungarians were allies of Germany at that time.
Unlike the degenerative art exhibition, the degenerative music exhibition did not have any success, and after three weeks it completely closed. And the works of the great "degenerates" remain masterpieces in our days.