Nazi Aesthetic (Olympics Berlin 1936) - 1319 Words

Max Kiehne The Body Prof. Gordon Nazi Aesthetics The regime of the Nazi party had an explicitly approved form of art. Unlike the other totalitarian regimes of the era, the approved forms of art were firmly integrated into their iconography and ideology, and excluded any other art movement, including those that were popular at the time. These approved forms of art held a limited number of themes, which were repeated as often as necessary, in order to portray the values the Nazis deemed relevant to their cause. These values were, of course, fundamentally nationalistic, and those themes approved by the government were meant to glorify not only the Aryan race, but specifically the German nation. The Harvest: The painting Out To†¦show more content†¦Hitler has been quoted as saying that the Christian values upheld among the Nazis, were only there to keep the people calm and complacent, while otherwise not being necessary to Nazi rule. Although only officially released recently, it has been somewhat common knowledge for many years that the Nazis, and specifically Hitler, despised the Church. Sigmund Freud used to say that religion was only a painkiller for unhappiness, and a form of escapism from the pain of our daily lives. In his writings he says, much in the vein of Schopenhauer, that art could be used to substitute God, and that facing the pain, instead of avoiding it, was the better way of dealing with it. Schopenhauer even said that while enjoying true art, the soul was freed of its pain, and the id lost consciousness, or rather self-awareness. As has been pointed out, the Nazis used art to convey their ideology, and perhaps it is not too far fetched to assume that the art of the Third Reich was also intended to relieve it’s citizens of their daily agonies, while bringing them closer to one another, at the same time. The Purpose Of It All: An important part of understanding the aesthetics of Nazi paintings is the part that refers to the reality of these paintings. Nazi paintings were never meant to â€Å"mirror† reality as such, but to portray role models for the German citizen. The German citizen was meant to look at these paintings and think: â€Å"This is how I want to be†. Although they wereShow MoreRelatedBoycott Of The American Olympic Committee1383 Words   |  6 Pages1932, the Nazi party became the majority faction in the Reichstag, the German parliament, and in 1933 Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany. This new leadership alarmed the IOC and sparked boycott movements around the world, including in the United States. Jewish and African-American communities were alarmed by the German government’s boycott of Jewish businesses. They appealed to the American members of the Olympic committee to boycott the games. The president of the American Olympic CommitteeRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesreflective perspective A critical theory and psychoanalytic perspective A managerialist perspective The paradigm debate The practical utility of organization theory Current trends Globalization Institutional and neoinstitutional theory Discourse The aesthetics of organizing One final look at organizational culture Conclusions 432 432 434 434 434 435 436 437 437 438 438 442 446 446 450 452 453 457 459 Index 466 Supporting resources Visit www.pearsoned.co.uk/mcauley to find valuable online