Meredith Nastruz
Art in the GDR Replicates Nazi Art in Its Themes, Social Goals, and Political Motivations
A picture is worth a thousand words, which is why many governments throughout history have utilized images to communicate with citizens. Art in the GDR in the 1950s and 1960s was politically centered, displaying the values of work and simple living that would lead to a communist utopia; this goal required breaking apart the consumerism in the neighboring FRG that tempted Eastern Germans to flee West. This pattern of situating art within competing political cultures can also be seen when the Nazi regime criticized the Dada movement that came directly before, encouraging Germans to focus on restructuring Germany as a whole, as well as distinguishing the support for the Dada reforms and their anti-governmental ideals. In both the Nazi- and postwar-eras, the German government utilized art to counteract the movements of their respective political counterparts—the Dadaists and artists within the FRG.
Art was largely political in post-WWII Germany, where the GDR produced socialist realism and the FRG created abstract expressionism. Socialist realism is an art form that had to be simple enough for the working-class to understand, but must have also conveyed the benefits of a socialist government (Fulbrook 238). The GDR utilized art to encourage its citizens to dislike all aspects of capitalism, consumerism, and the West, even claiming that “formalism [meant] the dissolution and destruction of art itself” (“The Struggle against Formalism…”). This binary thinking largely limited the perspectives that could be represented in the GDR, providing an explanation for the plethora of socialist realism in this state.
Art in the GDR often focused on the triumph over fascism and the simple pleasures in everyday socialist life in order to gain support against the West, specifically the FRG. They frequently depicted pre-militarized Germany—nature and tradition—that was juxtaposed with triumphant reactions from WWII victims, especially communists overcoming fascists (“The Struggle against Formalism…”). Art in the GDR also focused on encouraging workers to enjoy the simple pleasures within Socialist culture. This attention to positive details is clear in Walter
Womacka’s Arbeitspause, a painting depicting women taking a break from their work (Fig. 1). Though the women shown would likely be sore and exhausted from intense labor, Womacka chose to emphasize the content on their faces, the simple fruit and bread for their lunch, and the relaxing comfort that they are experiencing with one another even in this brief time. The characteristics of this moment could be experienced by any worker in the GDR, which allowed the viewer to relate to and empathize with the subjects. In the FRG, on the other hand, abstract expressionism was not concrete. Unable to effectively verbally communicate the complexity of their transition, many ab-ex artists saw images as a universal language to share their concerns (Smith, Lecture). While both the FRG and the GDR utilized art to encourage new cultural perspectives, the GDR also advocated against the culture within the FRG.
Art in the GDR was primarily influenced by the government, while ab-ex in the FRG was inspired by German modernism. In the GDR, the government believed that the economy would only recover through hard work, which required the laborers to also invest in a better future (Fulbrook 162); the government displayed the utopia that socialism would supposedly bring to maintain the energy and dedication of the workers. Hans Grundig’s “Girl with Flowers” shows this utopian future, where a simple-looking girl could be so content while surrounded with nature
and light (Fig. 2). Her cheeks are raised in a slight smile, with the light cast over half of her face. As the gradient of light moves from dark to light in a progression from left to right on the image, it is possible that Grundig implies a timeline where a bright future would follow after the darkness in the present. At face-value, this image is basic and common, just like the title suggests and socialist realism required.
This elementary perspective of the world restricted artists from using formalist or abstract images, a rule that was repeatedly stated by the GDR government (“The Struggle against Formalism…”). When considering this goal of widespread socialist support, the government decided that working-class artists would be most effective in developing these new perspectives in other workers. They began to promote creative breaks where workers would paint and write, hopefully making art more accessible and increasing workers’ interests in the socialist utopia through their top-down reinforcement (Smith Lecture). Unfortunately, their plan backfired when it led workers to either quit and become paid artists, or became frustrated at their lack of talent and lost interest in art as a whole. Though creative breaks did not work as planned, the government still largely affected the pro-socialist morale of citizens in the GDR. In the FRG, the CIA from the US had supported some ab-ex artists to encourage cultural imperialism of this new state. Their influence, however, was minimal compared to the citizens’ internal desires to communicate to one another through art (Smith, Lecture). While art reforms in the FRG were primarily led by citizens, the GDR motivated workers to paint to strengthen socialist support among the people.
The Nazi government also attempted to go back to their roots, but not in the same way as the GDR. Hitler recognized that Germany lost its honor and freedom after WWI, and suggested that the Third Reich and Nazi party would regain these traits and restore Germany to its previous valor (“Hitler’s First Radio Address as Chancellor”). Primarily, Hitler aimed to stabilize the country by uniting individuals and creating a Volksgemeinschaft, or “people’s community,” that included all Germans into one group that could rise above the Versailles Treaty. In this, the Nazis effectively created an in-group and exiled everyone who was different—most notoriously, Jews (Fulbrook 299). The Hitler Myth is one concept that aided the empowerment of the Nazi party, an idea clearly demonstrated in a postcard from the beginning of Nazi reign (Fig. 3). The rolling hills in the background suggest a return to nature while the young girl connotes a motivation to better her future. Hitler’s body position is especially important; he is standing tall to show strength, and appears to come down as a god from the clouds to interact with and intimately relate to the young child pictured with him. This complex interaction of Hitler as a strong, paternal, godly man suggests multi-faceted greatness, making him appear as a perfect man to lead a ruinous country like post-WWI Germany into a profitable future. In contrast, Dada art was similar to art in the FRG, appearing random, meaningless, and chaotic. Nazis’ attempts to encourage stability within the population drastically differed from the disorder of Dada art.
The government during the Third Reich also encouraged artists to convey governmental themes, while Dada was citizen-led. Nazis hoped to unify and rehabilitate Germany, anticipating that repairing morale would undo the craze and mess of Weimar. According to Hitler, Weimar was “an appalling inheritance which [the Nazis] were taking over” (“Hitler’s First Radio Address as Chancellor”). The morale he hoped to restore was specifically related to associating
Germany, especially the Third Reich, with strength and honor. Hitler even flanked the Reich Chancellery Building with sculptures by Arno Breker entitled “The Party,” effectively connecting the two ideas by increasing their physical proximity (Fig. 4). In doing so, individuals were conditioned to associate the muscular statues with Hitler. The mental connections between the two in any context slowly reshaped the schema of German culture to become more dominant. Much like the process of association at the Chancellery, the government’s constant propaganda further solidified this ethnocentric opinion and enforced the Volksgemeinschaft.
Nazis also enforced their art preferences through social and physical pressure. In a Dada exhibit they ironically entitled “Entartete Kunst,” Nazis placed Dada artwork at awkward angles in dark lighting, and included negative commentary about the disgrace and ugly appearance of the images right next to them (Smith Lecture). This exposition increased the social pressure on artists to conform to the Nazi values, and provided negative impressions of Dada as a whole. Nazis also used physical threats to increase the conformity to their ideals, especially as they began to send any political enemies—especially communists—to work camps. If artists failed to produce the government-approved art, they were placed in physical danger, leading many to personally limit the themes they included in their art. Though the Third Reich attempted to discourage the Dada revolution, Dada was still a largely successful art movement.
Both the GDR and Nazi governments strengthened their own goals by emphasizing the pitfalls of their respective political and artistic countercultures—the FRG and Dada artists. Though they had different focuses, these artistic movements were largely positioned against the cultural powers that threatened the success of the societal changes the governments hoped to produce. In both the GDR and the Third Reich, the government motivated a cultural change against the naturally-driven artistic movements in the population through enforced themes and motifs in art; by situating art against political and social antagonists, it became a powerful weapon that warped the societal values of the German population, leading to obvious reforms in culture and politics at foundational levels. Art played an integral role in how both governments built up their own political perspectives and attacked the downfalls of others, allowing the governments to successfully alter people’s minds and increase the allegiance and general success of the systems implemented in both the GDR and Nazi Germany.