Posted on 03/06/2007 7:01:14 AM PST by Sam Cree
Dec. 18, 2006 issue - In the first world war, germany suffered 5 million casualties. When the war was over, the country was left with 2 million orphans, a million widows and a million invalids. In the waning days of 1918, it underwent a revolution in which the kaiser abdicated and fled to the Netherlands. Soon thereafter, the victorious Allies imposed a staggering reparations burden on Germany. Unemployment skyrocketed, and inflation reached such insane proportions that paper currency made better firewood than money. German cities became, simultaneously, pits of poverty, starvation and disease, and dens of drug-fueled high life. The painter Max Beckmann, who'd been flung out of the Army and the war in 1915 due to a nervous breakdown at the front, said, "We must take part in the whole misery that is to come." He meant that he and his fellow artists mustn't avoid the grotesque subject matter that history had placed in front of them. They must paint it with all the realism—emotional and psychological, as well as physical—at their command.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/glitter/images.asp
I happenned to be in Manhattan one weekend and caught this show. I'm clearly not a fan of modern(e) art, but I found this stuff very powerful, if depressing. My opinion is that the skill level of the artists was high.
A very tortured attempt to equate the early 20th century Germany with 21st century America. We are very different from what Germany was.
Art ping.
Let me, Republicanprofessor or woofie know if you want on or off the art ping list.
My apologies that this exhibition at the Met is over, but I thought the art work of these people, known as the "Verists" worthy of discussion, especially since we've recently had a couple threads on 20th century art.
Many of us born in the German immigrant-laden Midwest had relatives who lived in this period and who lived and died during the horrors of WW2. Interesting to speculate on what they saw and reacted to as they viewed the decadent German elite and cabaret society of the 20's and early 30's.
Leni
Germany was very decadent. The musical Cabaret actually does some justice to those times. We're really not so much different, except that the enemies are the white patriarchal Christians, rather than the Jews.
In their own way, they contributed to the breakdown of Germany between the wars. Obviously they didn't single-handedly lead to Hitler and WWII, but they helped.
And this fool in the review who's trying to tie Weimar Germany to the U.S.A. today is doing his best to contribute to the breakdown of the U.S.A.
Fortunately, this country is not as fragile as Weimar Germany -- but if enough people try hard enough, they can still bring our country down to that level.
Idiots.
I suspect that Beckman and Co. would find their worthy subjects for decadence, not among us "conservatives (if that is what we are)," but among the Hollywood glitterati and other super wealthy members of the Left.
If they succeed in that, or if other circumstance make it happen, then they will be grafified in seeing a real parallel instead of an imagined one, I think.
Somehow, "liberals" always overlook the fact that so many of the world's wealthiest people are among their own numbers. I was kind of startled when I figured that out. Anyhow, the closest current American parallel to the decadence that was depicted in the Verist art must be our entertainment industry.
I saw that quite a few art dealers were depicted unflatteringly by the guys who were in the exhibit. I'm pretty sure that there is a fair amount of chicanery in the way art dealers operate, but I don't know whether or not that profession exceeds the rest of society in such things. Some professions, like car salesmen and lawyers acquire reputations, though.
But does this explain Picasso?
Not knowing which way to go, Neitchze's philosophy triumphing over all, the underbelly of human nature reigned.
True, we have our sordid elements here in the US of A. However, we have a much stronger religious dynamic going on here in America than Germany had, despite the haranguing voice of the media elites. We have a century of totalitarianism to look back on and learn from; Germany was just on the cusp of entering into that era caused in large part by its own spiritual depravity.
Yes, and unlike many countries, we have a long tradition of individualism and freedom, though those things seem a little out of vogue at the moment.
I'm not knowledgable about Nietchze, but your comments seem pretty much on point to me.
BTW...I wished I'd seen the exhibit. Thanks for posting.
Look at the paintings. The Newsweek comment is not about the art, at all, imho. woofie wrote, "Does this explain Picasso?" Good comment, for I see the some cubism here. The public subjects remind me of Toulouse Lautrec. As for the octagenarians at the bar. They just remind me of 60 Minutes or the US senate. LOL
The museum website has a lot of laudatory stuff to say about the "emancipated woman." She looks like an enslaved woman to me.
Leni
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.