German Art Day Exhibitions, 1937: A Criticism of the National Socialist Aesthetic
Date
2015-04-28
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Abstract
In July 1937, Germans celebrated German Art Day in Munich, the birthplace of National Socialism. The celebrations included two art exhibitions: the Great German Art Exhibition and the Degenerate Art Exhibition. In 1933, the Nazi party had released ordinances that halted art production that conflicted with National Socialist (Nazi) ideology. A new art movement was created from the Nazi ideology, known as the National Socialist Art Movement. The two shows on German Art Day demonstrated the differences between art that was acceptable to the Nazis and art that had been banned. The exhibits of 1937 offer an example of Nazi indoctrination of the German people that would lead to national tolerance of the violent suppression and elimination of all so-called enemies of the National Socialist State. This paper compares works from the two shows and focuses on the representation of three subjects: women, the soldier and religion. I argue that these examples promoted the Nazi vision where women were confined to the limited role of procreation, where the death of soldiers in war was glorified, and where Hitler replaced Jesus as the religious leader of the "Aryan" German people. In the end, this vision of the National Socialist Art Movement played a significant role in legitimizing the marginalization and ultimate destruction of all elements of German society that contradicted Nazi ideology.
Description
Thesis completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Alfred University Honors Program.
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Thesis
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Honors thesis, Germany, German Art Day, Nazi Ideology