Entartete
Kunst
Entartete Kunst, or degenerate art, are pieces
of artwork that were considered unacceptable by the Nazis. Instead
of simply destroying the works of hundreds of artists, Hitler felt that
taking a psychological approach would prove to be more successful.
The Nazis displayed the works by the degenerate artists at exhibitions
throughout Germany. They also had exhibitions concerning proper German
art. Hitler said, “But true art is and remains eternal, it does not
follow the law of the season’s fashions: its effect is that of a revelation
arising from the depths of the essential character of a people which successive
generations can inherit.” So, artists such as Paul Klee, Wassily
Kandinsky, Max Beckmann, and Otto Dix, all suffered because they were expressionists.
Most of these artists moved away in order to continue their work.
Much of the work completed by these artists depicted their thoughts on
Nazi oppression.
In order to be considered degenerate art,
an artist could paint, draw, or sculpt an object in a surreal manner.
To demonstrate a piece of art, in which the Nazis would label degenerate,
I designed a surreal situation, which would have been seen as degenerated,
and painted it. In this painting, I chose obscure objects to represent
the views that artists choose to express differently. In this painting,
I wanted to choose a layout that would make a person think and analyze.
The person in the middle facing the mirror represents an outsider, just
as the Jews were seen as outsiders during Hitler’s reign. The mirror
that the “outsider” faces is the passage to an equal and peaceful world.
As this person is standing, s/he is faced with many complications.
However, eventually the day will come when s/he will reach the other side.
These artists expressed their own ideas through their work, and because
of the individuality and creativity, they were persecuted.
Contributor: Ehrin Irvin