Introduction
Art has always been one of the most powerful tools to reflect the perception of reality and values of the particular chronological period. Each ideology, beliefs, and principles of historical époque usually have a clear reflection on the art and culture of the nation. The art of the Third Reich was not an exception, as it clearly presented Nazi’s ideas of social structure and promoted the viewpoints of this ideology (Trueman par. 1). However, modern experts argue whether Nazi paintings comply with the common definition of art, as the political regime completely forbade the freedom of expression. Disregarding these details, Nazism had a clear reflection on art in the 1933-1945s.
Consequently, the primary goal of this paper is to depict the ways the ideology of Nazism affected the art and values of society. At the same time, it is critical to highlight Hitler’s perceptions of art, describe the political instruments to influence this social sphere, and emphasize the reflection of Nazi principles in German paintings. In the end, the conclusions are drawn to summarize the main findings and underline the influence of Nazism on art and culture.
Political Ways to Affect Art
From the beginning of the establishment of Nazi ideology, the political leaders were concerned about the content of the visual art. When Hitler came to power, the new policies regarding art were introduced. For instance, the Reich Cultural Chamber was founded under Joseph Goebbels, the minister of public enlightenment and propaganda (Thacker 193). This critical aim of this political institution was ‘cleanse’ and protect German culture from external influencers, promote a new ideology, and return to the fundamental German traditions (Thacker 193).
In turn, organizing various events such as the Degenerate Art Exhibition in 1937 attempted to disprove the propriety of values and concepts reflected in expressionism, Dadaism, cubism, and impressionism (Kleiner 765). Hitler, the leader of Nazi movement, did not accept the overall idea of self-reflection through drawings and paintings and claimed that “This art is the sick production of crazy people. Pity the people who no longer able to control this sickness” (Trueman par. 1). In this case, this exhibition attempted to illustrate that these art forms tended to offend German culture and encouraged the viewers to change their perceptions of the masterpieces. The organizers of the exhibition used the psychological pressure by presenting the artworks in the small rooms and using labels with offensive language to describe the plots of the paintings (Kleiner 765).
During these years, the Weimar Republic was famous for its paintings and applied similar techniques to influence the audience (Trueman par. 3). However, despite having similarities in art performance and completely different values from the impressionism and cubism, Hitler believed that modern artists had unstable minds and were corrupted (Trueman par. 4). Furthermore, the ideas of new trends such as reflection of Jewishness, Marxism, tolerance, and industrialization clashed with Nazis’ beliefs. Based on the aspects highlighted above, it is possible to theorize that culture and art were used as political and promotional tools to emphasize the benefits of Nazism and its values. These matters helped deliver the ideas to the masses and regain respect among the potential followers.
Hitler’s Perceptions of Art
Despite the involvement of various institutions and political figures in the cleaning process of German culture, Hitler played the central role. He was a leader and authority, and his values and viewpoints had a clear reflection on art in the 1933-1945s. Overall, Hitler’s interest in art was associated with his dream to become a painter and devote his life to drawing (Kleiner 765). In this case, Hitler’s idealistic viewpoints had a clear effect on the generally accepted concepts of art in Germany during his ruling. In the first place, the leader of Nazis was completely against cubism and impressionism (Trueman par. 4). The primary reason for this matter was the apparent conflict of interests and the lack of correspondence of these art movements with Hitler’s political values and beliefs. Simultaneously, minimizing the influence of these art tendencies would increase the effectiveness of propaganda of Nazi regime.
Alternatively, it could be said that Hitler’s beliefs of art were rather old-fashioned and radical. He claimed that ‘true’ art had to be classic and romantic with no traces of pain or distress (Trueman par. 4). On the pictures, the leader wanted to see the idealized image of happy German families, peaceful countryside, strong and healthy German youth, and farmers engaged in the heroic actions. Showing these pictures to the audience would clearly support the ideals of the Third Reich. The central viewpoint of Nazism was to unite the nation under one motto “Ein Volk. Ein Reich. Ein Fuhrer.” with the meaning of “One People. One Nation. One Leader.” (Horowitz 173). Consequently, the notions of the pictures mentioned above clearly supported its key principles and encouraged the consolidation of different social groups.
Reflection of Nazi Ideology in German Paintings
Thus, it was apparent that Nazi ideology had a clear reflection on German paintings. In the first place, one cannot find any trace of poverty, disabilities, and imperfections in German paintings in the 1933-1945s. These concepts were banned in the Third Reich (Andersen 167). Any painters and artists referring to these topics would be punished and required to change their style and the content of their works. Instead, German painters had to devote substantial attention to the idealized image of Aryan race and its strength and prosperity. Portrayal of wealth and a new generation of strong workers were the main concepts reflected in German drawings during the era of Nazism (Andersen 167)
At the same time, the painters had to follow the regulations of the government and were forbidden to reflect their emotions in the paintings (Andersen 367). The artworks were often used as a political tool to promote the key values of the ideology. Simultaneously, they attempted to show the potential outcomes of joining Hitler and his campaign and uniting people together. In this case, the paintings and drawings had to follow the governmentally accepted template. This regulation not only ruined the careers of the artists but also questioned the overall conceptualization of the freedom of expression in Nazi Germany (Farago par. 4).
As it was mentioned earlier, Hitler was a clear supporter of classical art, which portrayed men as strong and healthy (Trueman par. 4). Drawing them in military attire helped underline the military strength of Germany. The soldiers were often portrayed as being heroic, patriotic, and eager to sacrifice themselves for the prosperity of the nation (Lindsay 52). This topic was highly repetitive in the art of Nazi Germany, as its values and themes were rather limited.
At the same time, in spite of the male dominance, a woman had a definite position in German society and culture. During these times, a female figure was often associated with the symbol of purity and motherhood, and her goal was to breed children (Lindsay 52). Similarly to the duties of the soldiers, German women had to devote their lives to the nation by raising a new generation and be prepared to scarify their lives. Highlighting these matters assists in seeing that all paintings and their plots were united under the motto of the Third Reich and its values.
Conclusion
Overall, the events and examples highlighted above indicate that Nazi ideology with Hitler as a frontrunner took advantage of art and used it as a form of propaganda. With the help of the masterpieces, the leaders wanted to emphasize the benefits of their political regime, its positive intentions, and attract more followers. It could be said that a portrayal of muscular men, patriotic soldiers, and healthy women was the idealized picture of reality. At the same time, disregarding the features such as poverty, disabilities, and imperfections differentiated the culture from the common art movements such as cubism, impressionism, and expressionism. These concepts did not comply with the understanding of purity of Nazism and were banned.
In the modern world, it is believed that monitoring the freedom of expression in art is not as important as it was emphasized in Germany during the 1933-1945s. Nonetheless, controlling it helped Hitler and the leaders of the Third Reich leave the mark in history and manipulate the minds of people of German nation. Consequently, the role of art could not be underrated, as it created prejudice and clearly modified the mindsets of the population.
Works Cited
Andersen, Wayne. German Artists and Hitler’s Mind: Avant-Garde Art in a Turbulent Era. Boston: Editions Fabriant Ltd, 2010. Print.
Farago, Jason. “Degenerate the Art: The Attack on Modern Art in Nazi Germany, 1937 Review – What Hitler Dismissed as Filth.” The Guardian 2014. Web.
Horowitz, Irving. Culture and Civilization: Globalism. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 2011. Print.
Kleiner, Fred. Gardner’s Art through the Ages: The Western Perspective. Boston: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.
Lindsay, Ivan. The History of Loot and Stolen Art: From Antiquity until the Present Day. London: Unicorn Press Ltd, 2014. Print.
Thacker, Toby. Joseph Goebbels: Life and Death. New York: Palgrave McMillan, 2016. Print.
Trueman, Chris. Art in Nazi Germany. 2016. Web.