Degenerate Art

Censorship of any kind is a subject that gets me riled up. In these times where citizens and even local and state governments are determining what THEY deem is fit for us all to read and see, I’m prompted to talk about attempts to censor art – specifically the Nazis’ Degenerate Art exhibitions they held throughout Germany and other attempts to censor art and free expression. Here are a couple of websites that provide nuts-and-bolts information – including one from MoMA.

A scenario I’ve seen debated in both history documentaries and art documentaries is how the world would’ve changed if Adolf Hitler HAD been accepted into art school. The point is obviously moot, but it IS interesting to think about. I’ve seen paintings done by Hitler. They aren’t terrible; I’ve seen worse. But, art and art education in Austria at the time had moved past the kind of art Hitler was creating, and he was unable and/or unwilling to create the kind of art that was more prevalent. That wound to his pride STUNG, and he held onto that anger his entire life, and that grudge resulted in ‘degenerate art.’ Any art that didn’t conform to his personal standards or art created by Jewish people or art owned by Jewish people were deemed degenerate. AND, an admission that will probably not be shocking to you, a lot of art I love was considered degenerate by the Nazis – artists like Vincent VanGogh, Piet Mondrian, Wasilly Kadinsky, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse. This painting from the Cincinnati Art Museum was also considered degenerate; I’ve painting a couple of interpretations of it. Sadly, some of this art was destroyed or has disappeared; some art, however, was saved or returned to owners.

Alexej von Jawlensky's Seated Woman

My versions of Seated Woman

The Nazis were not the first to censor art nor would they be the last. Remember Senator Jesse Helms’ attempts to limit funds for the National Endowment for the Arts? How about the city of Cincinnati’s attempts to censor the Robert Mapplethorpe photography exhibit? The curators of that exhibit were even arrested and faced a trial but were thankfully acquitted. Now, as mentioned above, we still see efforts to censor what we see, hear, read, etc. Support artistic expression for all artists and especially artists you support; their ideas and contributions to culture are vital for a free society!