1

SueWightman
S09504169

M.A.FineArt(Parttime)
ModuleOption:ContemporaryPhilosophy&Aesthetics(15Credits)

EssayQuestionTwo:

ThetermdegenerateartwasconsistentlyusedbytheNazistodescribe
virtuallyallmodernistart.Whatisitaboutthemodernthatseemsto
bringforthdegenerateart?

Inyourresponse,takeacarefullookatAdornosripostethatArtneed
notdefenditselfagainsttherebukethatitisdegenerate:artmeetssuch
rebukebyrefusingtoaffirmthemiserablecourseoftheworldastheiron
lawofnature.(Adorno,AesetheticTheory,(NewYork:Continuum:
2004,p.65).ElaboratewithreferencetoDuchampsBridedescending
thestaircase,HansBellmersTheDollandMayaDerensMeshesinthe
Afternoon.
(Bonuspoint:discussinrelationtotheroleofreason/doubtin
Kant/Decartes/Arendt(1)restagingoftheconditionofwhatitistobe
human;and(2)theroleofdirtyandsensuousviatransgressionor
disruption.
 2

"IT'SASICKENINGOUTRAGE!Sadistic!Obscene!Evil!.Thesepeopleare
thewreckersofcivilization!1(ToryMPNicholasFairbairn)

TheProstitutionExhibitionattheICA,Londoncausedanoutcryinthenational

pressandparliament.Debateragedagainstthedegeneratenatureoftheshow.Yet

againArtwastestingtheacceptedboundariesandcontrolofhumanbehaviorwithina

supposedcivilizedsociety. DegenerateArtbecamethemechanismthroughwhich

Arts,ofallgenres,couldbecriticizedanddestroyedthroughreactionanddebate

basedonhumanbehaviorinrelationtotheartistic.Itwasaradicalexpressionof

culture that provoked, shocked, outraged, corrupted and led to scandal and

controversy.

The term Entartete Kunst was introducedbyHitlerin 19372,using culture as a

meansofpropagandaandtakingtheModernasaweaponagainstthepurityofthe

human race and the National Socialist expectations of their vision of Utopia. 3

Modernism at the beginning of the twentieth century was experimenting and

exploringallaspectsoftheArtsandtheartists,musiciansandliterarycommunities

1 http://www.brainwashed.com/tg/live/ica.htmToryMPNicholasFairbairn
wasenragedattheProstitutionExhibition,byGenesisPOrridgeandCoseyFanni
Tutti(1976)attheICA,London,whichincludeddisplaysofpornographicimages,
eroticnudephotographs,astripper,usedtamponsinglassandtransvestiteguards,
prostitutes,punksminglingwiththegalleryaudience.Theshowhadwidespread
mediacoverageandcauseddebateinParliamentaboutthepublicfundingofsuch
events.

2 Degenerate Art Exhibition, Munich 1937: 120 artists, including

only 8 Jews!
3 Utopia,imaginaryandidealcountryinUtopia(1516)bySirThomasMore,from
Greekounot,no+toposplace;aplaceofidealperfectionespeciallyinlaws,
government,andsocialconditions.FirstKnownUse:1597.Thepureraceandvision
ofanewworldaspromisedbytheNazis,usedtheUtopianideologytoreinforcetheir
propaganda.
 3

weresearchingforameansofexpressionoutsidethetraditionalformats,techniques

andexperiencesfortheiraudiences.

.artisnowscarcelypossibleunlessitdoesexperiment
(T.W.Adorno2004,37)

TheModernwastheforcethattheArtsinterpretersusedtobecomeindividualswitha

needforinnovation.In1913therewasariotatthefirstperformanceofStravinskys

TheRiteofSpring4,anexampleofhowaudienceswerebeingtakenoutoftheir

comfortzonesandthrownintoaneclecticworldofsavagery,primitiveandforeign

soundsandvisualconcepts.Adornodeclaredtheworkasanecrophiliacworkon

accountofitsfocusupondeath(Jenkins2007)5 Thisindividualismwasgivinga

heightenedorderofexistence(T.W.Adorno2004,4)andfurtheredthecauseof

autonomy for the Modern culture. By the 1920s onwards a series of isms had

appeared Impressionism, Expressionism, Dada, Fauvism, Surrealism, Futurism,

Symbolism, Cubism, Bauhaus etc. all were striving to widen the sphere of

experimentation and to push the boundaries to extremes. There were no longer

Patronstopleaseandimpress;nowthefocuswasuponadesiretostartleaudiences

andreeducatetheviewer,especiallythebourgeoisandpoliticallymotivated,andto

contribute to social change or revolution. Artists explored motifs of sexuality,

violenceandtheextremesofhumanbehavior,influencesofAfricanandAmerican

culturesaboundedandnewdevelopmentsinmaterialsandtechnologiesaddedtothe

artisticmixture.Thesenewdevelopmentsinphotographyandfilmweretobeusedto
4 The Rite of Spring is one of the defining musical compositions of
Modernism. The ritual sacrifice of the primitive is conveyed through
brutal and inhuman violence, sexuality and human behaviour, which
push the visual spectacle to extremes. At the first performance the
audience rioted in response to the ugliness and obscenity contained
both in the music and choreography.
5 Adorno, Theodor W. Philosophie der neuen Musik. 1949 (Jenkins
2007)
 4

great effect as propaganda against the very culture that were attempting das

Aufbruch6.ThehistoricalcontextasAdornoremarksisthat

.thedefinitionofartisateverypointindicatedbywhatartoncewas.
(T.W.Adorno2004,3)

The dictates also pointed to the concept of What it is? and What it is not? The

motivatorofartversusitsownidentityandpast.Artwastherefore

ahistoricallychangingconstellation.(T.W.Adorno2004,2)

The Modern within this context was in a constant conflict with its own natural

resourceandrefusedtobedrawnintothedefenseofitsplacewithinthesystemsfor

creatingtruthandfreedom.Thisinturnstimulatedintellectualexcitementtomaintain

thebalanceofpowerwithinacontextofpoliticalmotivationandhumanbehavior.

Arthasstruggledhardoverthecourseofits developmenttoestablishits
boundaries.(T.W.Adorno2004,64)

ThiswasputtothetestundertheNaziregimeculturalcommunicationwasthe

grounduponwhichtherivalartisticarmiesbattleforsupremacy.

Itisnotthemissionofarttowallowinfilthforfilthssake,topaintthe
humanbeingonlyinastateofputrefaction,todrawcretinsassymbolsof
motherhood,ortopresentdeformedidiotsasrepresentativesofmanly
strength7(Farago2014)

Censorshipwaspoliticallymotivatedandledtoaconflictofvaluesforthemass

culture;atoolofrevolutionthatstruckattheheartofmodernsocialexistence.The

ThirdReichtookthisfurtherandexpectedconformitytotheirideologyanda

6 Breaking out, breaking up or breaking open.

7 Farago, Jason. Degenerate Art: The Attack on Modern Art in Nazi
Germany, 1937 review What Hitler dismissed as filth Guardian
Article, 13 March 2014. Hitler 1935; a quote written on the wall of
the 1937 Degenerate Art Exhibition.
 5

rejectionofthebourgeoisintellectualism,decadenceandthechallengingofidentity

andindividualismwithinrace,ethnicityandclass.Specificallyattackingallmodern

artasbeingJewishandaleftwingconspiracytoundermineGermanculture.Cultural

condemnationoftraditionanditsantirepresentationaldevelopmentsdidnotfitinto

theFascistBlutundBoden8,wheretheartconnectstheviewertothedeepstructure

ofreality.Usingthemythsofnationalismandracialsuperioritytocreateapure

race,thefascistsutilizedtraditionalandnewformsofculturalproduction,including

photographyandfilm.(E.g.TriumphdesWillens)9.Usingtheminthecelebration

ofbeauty,sexuality,physicalstrengthandsuperioritythroughclassicalaesthetics.

Thiswasalsoenhancedbyafervorforiconoclasticindulgence.Intellectualand

ArtisticModernismwasthenegatedcatalystforthetotalitarianismand

weltanschauung10thatwasexpected.Ultimatelyartistswereforcedtoseeksanctuary

inothercountriesandthecentralfocusmovedfromEuropetoAmerica.

8 Blood and Soil: refersto anideologythatfocusesonethnicitybasedontwo

factors,descentblood(ofafolk)andterritory.Itcelebratestherelationshipofa
peopletothelandtheyoccupyandcultivate,anditplacesahighvalueonthevirtues
ofruralliving.
9 The Triumph of Will. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=GHs2coAzLJ8The infamous Nazi propaganda film of 1934,
directed by Leni Riefenstahl. The stirring music, images and
messages brainwash the viewer into the belief of the rise of a new
power and a glorious nation. Hitler praised the film:
.incomparable glorification of the power and beauty of our
movement and on the death of Riefenstahl the Independent wrote:
Triumph of Will seduced many wise men and women, persuaded
them to admire rather than to despise, and undoubtedly won the
Nazis friends and allies all over the world.

10 World View: Weltanschauungservesasaframeworkforgeneratingvarious

dimensionsofhumanperceptionandexperiencelikeknowledge,politics,economics,
religion,culture,scienceandethics.
 6

thesideofthemindthatishostiletolifewouldbesheerdepravityifitdid
notclimaxinitsselfreflection
(T.W.Adorno2004,392)

Thisactofreflectionallowedtheindividualtomaintaincontactwithareality,despite

theimaginationandfantasiesthatattemptedtoinfiltrateandhumanbehaviorsortto

competewiththeneedforthisalternativeexistencethatdehumanizedthe

consciousness.TheModerngaveaccesstoimaginationandfantasy,butalsofell

straightintothehandsofthosewiththepowertoextinguishthedegenerate.

Anudeneverdescendsastaircaseitreclines11

Whereisthenude?wasthequestiondirectedatDuchampsBrideDescendinga

StaircaseNo.2of191212.Theworklackedrealism.Therewasnoobvioushuman

body.ItcausedscandalandcontroversyatTheArmoryShowinNewYork(1913).

Theartistwasdepictinghismodelwithinthecontextofthenew.Hewasinfluenced

bythetechnologyofphotography,oftheactualmovementandspeedofthebody

downthestaircase.HewasexperimentingwiththeModern.Itwastakingtheviewer

intothesexual,theradicalandthereactionary.Itwasprovokingtheaudiencetolook

11 March18,1912,MarcelDuchampreceivedanunexpectedvisitfromhistwo
brothers,JacquesVillonandRaymondDuchampVillon,athisstudioinNeuillysur
Seine.TheyinformedtheiryoungerbrotherthatthehangingcommitteeoftheSalon
desIndpendantsexhibitioninParis,whichincludedthemselves,hadrejectedhis
NudeDescendingaStaircase,No.2.TheCubistpaintershadrefusedtodisplaythe
paintingonthegroundsthat"Anudeneverdescendsthestairsanudereclines."
12 Keats, Jonathon writing for Forbes, New York 11 May 2013: His
paintingappliedthecognitivebasisoferoticatohighart:arousinginterestwithwhat
cannotbeseen.ThemethodisattherootofhisReadymades,andhisReadymadesare
atthecoreof20thand21stcenturyart.Theconundrumoftheseasonisstill
rewardingandstillscandalizingonehundredyearsaftertheArmoryShow
closed.
 7

beyondtheirbourgeoisintellectualismandintohisexperiment,butbydoingthishe

wasdestroyingtherealityandthenatural.Exceptperhapstheactualintentionofthe

artistwasnottoshock,buttoenlightentheartworldwithafreshperspectiveon

artisticmethodologyandvision.

Lifesizepubescentdollsinunconventionalposes,whichoozeexplicitsexuality,

illustratetheprovocativeworkofHansBellmer13.AsupporterofLeninandMarx,he

deliberatelycreatederoticpiecesthatfoughtagainstthecultofbeauty.Theywerean

escapefromreality,excepttheytookthevoyeurintoafantasyofsexualdesires.This

illustratedtheintenseimpactofthesexualanddirtyuponsocialexistenceatatime

ofdisruptionandrepressionandalsohowtheartandculturalcommunitywasadding

totheheightenedsenseofcorruption.

ThefilmnoirofMayaDeren14againdepictedtheexperimentalnatureofModernism.

.attemptedtoshowthewayinwhichanapparentlysimpleandcasual
occurrencedevelopssubconsciouslyintoacriticalandemotionalexperience.

13Bottinelli, Giorgia: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/bellmer-

the-doll-t11781/text-summary Hans Bellmer The Doll 1933-4 &
1935: ArthistorianHalFosterhaswrittenthattherewasamasochisticsubtextinthe
Dollphotographs:inhissadisticscenesBellmerleavesbehindmasochistictraces;in
hiseroticmanipulationofthedollsheexploresasadisticimpulsethatisalsoself
destructive.Inthiswaythedollsmaygoinsidesadisticmasterytothepointwherethe
subjectconfrontsitsgreatestfear:itsownfragmentationanddisintegration. Hal
Foster,ViolationandVeilinginSurrealistPhotography:WomanasFetish,as
ShatteredObject,asPhallus, in JenniferMundy(ed.),Surrealism:DesireUnbound,
exhibitioncatalogue,TateModern,London2001,p.208
14 Maya Deren: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=c354HWv3wT4Hobson,Charlotte.TheArtoftheMovingImage.Thisis
consideredtobeoneofthefirstexamplesofthepsychodramaatermusedbyA.L.
Rees,butalsositedmuchearlierbySitneyinVisionaryFilm;alsoknownastrance
film,duetothetrancelike,hypnoticaestheticandrhythmiceffectthatthesefilms
projected.
 8

(Jacobsn.d.,279)

MeshesintheAfternoonwasasurrealistfilmthatexploredtheconflictof

consciousnesswithourinternalexperiences.Itwasfullofsymbolismandtooktheuse

ofobjectsasextremeaidememoiresorleitmotivs.Thedreamlikenightmaretookthe

vieweronajourneyintohisorherownindividualmusingsandFreudian

psychologicalnarrative.ThisAvantGardepieceusedthecameratointeractboth

objectandsubject,attemptingtocatchreality,butwithinacontextofemotionally

heightenedunderstanding.

Wheredidthisdegeneratismleadlaterinthecentury?Theelementofshock,the

needtofeedhumanappetitesthatclamoredforhiddenfantasies,acultureof

transgression:theflouting,breakingandoversteppingofboundariessetbysociety,

lawandconvention;allcontributedtothepaththeModerncontinuedtotake.Itwasif

theartisticworldwasinvolvedinawarwithhumanperception.AstheauthorGeorge

Orwellobserves:

Theoffensivenessofanygivenworkalwaysboilsdowntosubjectivity
peoplearetoofrightenedeitherofseemingtobeshocked,orofseemingnot
tobeshocked,tobeabletodefinetherelationshipbetweenartandmorals
(Dilks2013)

Itwascreatingthechallengeofoffence,discomfortandunpleasantness,totheviewer

andcriticalike.Thiswasanewtypeofconnectionwiththeaudience.Theexamplein

theopeningparagraph15showstheimpactmediaandpoliticshadandstillhavetoday

upontheArts.AndreSerranosPissChrist16,theinfamousSensationShow17

15 Prostitution Exhibition (1976)

16 Andre Serrano Piss Christ (1987) photograph where the artist
submerged a crucifix in a glass of his own urine.
17 The Sensation Show (1997) Saatchis exhibition at the RA by
YBAs. WarningpostedbytheRA:Therewillbeworksofartondisplayinthe
 9

TraceysbedandDamiansformaldehydebeasts,theportraitofMyra18,Benetton

advertising19andVienneseActionCinema20:allclaiminginfamythrough

transgressionanddisruptiontohumanbehaviorandchallengingthenormwiththeir

choiceofmaterialsandinstallation.Exceptthatastimepassesthehistoricalcontext

changes.TheoriginaldegenerateArtoftheNazisandTheRiteofSpringarenow

Sensationexhibitionwhichsomepeoplemayfinddistasteful.Parentsshouldexercise
theirjudgmentinbringingtheirchildrentotheexhibition.Onegallerywillnotbe
opentothoseundertheageof18.
Dalrymple,Theodore.Trash,ViolenceandVersace.ButisitArt?CityJournal,
Winter1998.Theexhibitionattractedunprecedentedcontroversyathomeandwide
publicityabroad.Televisioncamerasfromaroundtheworldwhirredatthepress
preview.AsfortheBritishpress,itdividedintotwocamps,theexhilaratedandthe
disgusted.Theexhilaratedcampcomposedoftheselfappointedguardiansof
freedomofexpressionandartisticlicenseexultedthatatlastBritain,solonga
provincialbackwater,wasnowthemainstreamofartisticinnovation.YoungBritish
artistswereinthevanguard,bravelybattlingtheforcesofartisticreaction:thoughno
onespecifiedtheprecisedestinationoftheartisticarmywhoseadvancetheywere
supposedlyleading.Thedisgustedpresscamp,bycontrast,bemoanedthisfurther,
almostdefinitive,degradationoftaste.Thereisnosuchthingasbadpublicity,
however;indeed,inanageofperversity,badpublicityisn'tbadit'sthebest.
"Filthy,""disgusting,""pornographic,""sordid,""perverted,""vicious":nowords
couldhavebeenbettercalculatedtoattracttheBritishtotheRoyalAcademy.

18 Marcus Harvey .Myra (1997) the controversial painting using

the casts of infants hands to build up a mosaic to reproduce the
iconic police photo of Myra Hindley. An editorial in The Sun
remarked: Myra Hindley is to be hung in the RA. Sadly its only a
painting of her!
19 Benetton: Shockvertising a combination of frightening, gory
and/or offensive advertising material, which deliberately startles
and offends its audience by violating norms, but this can also be
regarded as a means of heightening awareness of social issues and
the infringement of human, civil and environmental rites and
liberties.
20www.tirl.org/installations/trangressive-interactive-art/thesis-
finalpdf De Tar, Charles 2007. The Viennese Action Cinema is
perhaps the best example of a group concerned with the aesthetic
of transgression. They produced grotesque and disturbing movies
depicting decapitations of live animals, fornication with living and
dead animals, and sexual acts involving faeces and vomit. The
Vienna Action Group believed that it was necessary for humans to
release pent up urges and to pursue the aesthetic of destruction to
its limits. The Viennese Actionists believed that the aesthetic of
 10

famousandtreasuredworksandpiecesbyEminandHirstreachcompetitivelyhigh

pricesamongstcollectors.Afteralltransgressioncanbelucrative.Asourattitudesto

societyvaluesandmassculturehavebecomemoretolerantwenowlookuponthe

Modernwithanewunderstandingandknowledge.

Theworksaboveareexemplarsofwhatwashappeningwithinthecreativemindsof

the20thcentury.TheirneedtoexperimentandexploretheModern,alsoledtotheir

confrontationwiththesocialandreal.Societywasnotinapositiontoexceptthis

withintheirculturalrevolutionandneededtheArtstomaintainaposition,which

supportedtheiridealsnotfoughtagainstthem.TheseModernartistsalsofellintothe

handsofthoseaimingtorepressandcontrolthepowerstructures.

ThesocialandculturalcontextoftheModernhadbeencentereduponaconflictofthe

valueswithinitsidentityandpurpose.Thesevalueswereconstantlyquestionedbythe

differentextremeswithinthemassculture,butitisultimatelythismassculturethat

hadtheabilitytodefinetheaestheticterritoryoftheModern.

theartworldisathingthatnegatestheworldofthings.
(T.W.Adorno2004,119)

Adornoconsideredthesocialandculturalfunctionofthearts,withinhistoryatthe

beginningofthetwentiethcentury,tosupporthistheory.Theartswerecaughtwithin

thebattleofpoliticsandindustrializationwithinthemassculture.Modernismwasnot

possiblewithoutitshistoricaltraditionanditneededthisasabackdropinorderto

shock,provokeandattack.Itwasfedbyasocietyenvelopedinpolitics,cultureand

transgression was not only worthwhile on its own, but that humans
needed to express themselves through this aesthetic to be whole.
 11

sex,allofwhichcouldnotavoidcontributingtotheunderlyingrawenergyoftheus

versusthem.Alongsidethenegativeweretheintenselinkstoimagination,new

knowledgeandvision.Itwasthemadenessofthingsthatwasthefoundationof

theiridentityandtheirseparatenessfromtheempiricalworld.Fromthisfoundation

artcouldthenrevelinitsautonomy,wherebytheartistcreatedwithoutany

recognitionofpotentialcensorship.Heallowedhiscreativitytoextendthe

experimentationandexplorationwithoutreferencetoexternalinfluencesfromthe

politicsandmasssocialculture,butitstillembracedtheroleofthecriticofsociety,

natureandlifethroughthemechanismofcontentandcontext.

Bycrystallizinginitselfassomethinguniquetoitself,ratherthancomplying
withexistingnormsandqualifyingassociallyusefulartcriticizessociety
merelybyexisting.(T.W.Adorno2004,225)

This criticism could also be translated into an act of resistance, where they

condemnedthecapitalist,profitsaturatedindustry:aresistancethatradicallyremoved

itselffromitsintendedoutcomes.

Adornosironlawofnaturewasasocietythattheculturalworldwasnotprepared

toembrace.Itwouldnotbedrawnintoacourseofactionwhereitrespectedthe

thoughtandidealsofcertainelementswithinsociety,whilstnotallowingothersto

regardtheissueswithinart,andcometotheirownconclusions.Theroleofartistic

endeavorshouldnothavebeenputintoapositionwhereithadtojustifyanddefine

itself.Theworksconsideredearlieralldefiedthesupposedlawbygivingtheartist

thefreedomtoexpressexactlytheconcernsraisedbytheidiomandbygivingthe

viewer the opportunity to formulate their own conclusions. This was keeping an

openingavailable,throughwhichideascouldcontinueyouflowinalldirections,but
 12

alsoallowedAdornosindissolublesomethingtobeconsidered.Itistheelement

withinthesocietyandculturallandscapethatiskeptopeninorderfortheindividual

toconsidertheiroptionswithinthecontextoftheirthinkingandtoallowanydoubtor

testamenttoreasonthatneedstobeconfirmedordenied.Adornoalsoillustratedthis

withinhis owncompositions21.Hisoutput,inthegenreofSchoenberg,Bergand

Webernandtheirexplorationofatonalityandthetwelvetonetechnique,showsa

needforfreedomwithintheoldtraditionsofmusicalstyle.Composingoutsidethe

box,withouttheconstraintsofsocialexpectationsandwithinacontextofexperiment

andstretchingtheresourcesofboththecontentoftheworksandthelimitationsof

instrumentsandperformers.

Art.embodieswhatdoesnotallowitselftobemanagedandwhattotal
managementsuppresses. (T.W.Adorno2004,234)

Thisscenarioofthedirty,theobscene,thedegenerateandthesexualintroducedan

essenceofinsanitythatviolatedtheprinciplesoffaithandpolitics.Thecriticalmass

wasconfrontedwiththeopposingtrendsofthevisionaryidealism:pessimismversus

optimism,despairversuscelebration.Thepalingensis22communicateda

totalitarianism,whichwasdriventhroughsocietyandhistorytocreatethe

Weltanschauung23.Theseattemptswereencompassedbytheneedsofhuman

obsessiontotransformandtobeawareoftheirpositionashistoricalagentsinthis

socialchange,whilstmaintainingthecertaintyofreason.Thiscertaintywasthe
21 https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=FO2np13ZVJs&list=PL_lKi48VmjPYNs0cK4lUQb-
pr_POutNEK&index=124Two Pieces for String Quartet 1925-26 with
visual commentary.

22 Power of the Modern state.

23 World Vision
 13

immoveablegrounduponwhichallothersocialandhumanmovementwouldbe

allowedtodevelop.

Theimportanceofthemoralandspiritualvalueswithinbeautyandtheeffectofthis

wasanimportanttothephilosophersoftheEnlightenment.Itwasthroughthese

valuesthatbeautywasabletoacquireasensuousform;aformthatwasnottobe

dislodgedbysubversionortransgression.Itwasnecessaryforthemoralandspiritual

tobefullygrounded.Thisinturnwaslinkeddirectlytomodernsocietythroughthis

needtoexcludeanydisruption,whichwouldultimatelyleadtoimmorality.Arthur

Dantoarguedthat:

beautyisbothdeceptiveasagoaland.antipathetictothemissionof
modernart (Scruton2009)

Kantsphilosophyofknowledgeandtheboundariesthataresetbylimitationsof

humanrepresentationandempiricalrealism,createdachallengingbasis.Thisbasis

didnotallowfortheunderstandingandevaluationofanythingnewbeyondthe

conceptsthatalreadyexisted.Modernityhadnowseparatedchurchandstateandthis

ledtoanopeningupofthematerialforcesofexistence.24Itwasthedingansich25,

asknownthroughanotionofjudgmentandpreviouslyunderstoodknowledgethat

formedtheground.Withinthistherewastheideathatbeautycantranscendthis

cognitiveknowledgeandinordertofacilitateameansforbeautyandthesublimeuses
24 Giuntini, Dr Parme. Becoming Modern. Modernity is
characterized by increasing secularism and diminished religious
authority. People did not abandon religion but they paid less
attention to it. Organized religions were increasingly less able to
dictate standards, values and subject matter. Fine Art moved from
representing human experience and its relationship to God, to a
focus on personal emotions and individual spiritual experiences that
were not based in any organized and institutionalized religion.

25 Thing-in-itself the I.
 14

thefacultiesofimagination,understandingandreason.26Thefirsttwoallowed

perception,apprehension,intuitionandcognitiontotakeplace.Theconsiderationof

reasonwasrelatedto:

aseriesoftranscendentideas:humanfreedom,God,immortality,and
themeasurabilityofcreation.(KulWant2010,21)

Theemphasisontheneedforbeautywithinartwasdestinedtobechallenged.Artists

neededtoexperimentandexploreinordertoclaimtheirrightstohumanfreedom.As

withAdornosironlawofnature,Kantarguesthat

NatureisbeautifulbecauseitlookslikeArt;andArtcanonlybecalled
beautifulifweareconsciousofitasArtwhileyetitlookslikeNature.
(Kant 1987)

Aswellasthestrivingforbeautyandthesublimetoremainimprisonedwithinthe

constraintofnatureorevenwithintherestrictionsfixedbysocietyortheindividual,

theexistenceoftheArtshadalwaysneededtheelementofdoubttorevisitthe

supposedtruth.

Doubt, a pervasive feature of modern critical reason,

permeates into everyday life as well as philosophical
consciousness, and forms a general existential dimension of
the contemporary social world. Modernity institutionalizes the
principle of radical doubt and insists that all knowledge takes
the form of hypotheses: claims which may very well be true,
but which are in principle always open to revision and may
have to at some point to be abandoned.
(Francina 1992, 18)

Dreamsversusthoughts,trueversusfalseandconvictionversusdoubtequalthe

conditionofbeingwithindoubt.Cartesiandoubtreassessedtheforwardmovementof

knowledge,butallowedforanopeningtoremainwithintheculturalcontext.Inturn

thisledtoenablingthoughtandcreativity.Theopeningalsorevealednewcultural

26 These form the early aesthetic framework within Kants Critique

of Pure Reason and Critique of Practical Reason
 15

creativity(poesis)thatdevelopedintotheformsthatledtodisruption,transgression

andthesensuous.Therewasthentheneedforcensorshiptocontroltheactionsofthe

exit.

Itisthisdoubtthat,accordingtoArendt,isthebasisofbeinghuman.Thishuman

behaviorhastoconsiderallsidesinordertoclaimreason.Itneedstouseelementsof

commonsense,superstitionandpoliticalandsocialthoughtinordertomanage

opinions,whetherindividualormass.Humanlifeisbaseduponsocietiesandtheir

abilitytoevolve.SheconsideredModernityastheageofmasssociety27.Her

concernwithwhatshecallsthelossesincurredasaresultoftheeclipseoftradition,

religionandauthority28aresupportedbywhatcanbeprovidedthroughquestionsof

meaning,identityandvalue29,butherviewsshowanegativitytowardstheconcept

ofmodernism.

.thedeadlyimpactofnewthoughts(MeninDarkTimes,201)30

Inorderformantopartakeincivilizedsociety,hehashadtolayasidemany
uncivilizedurgeswithintheself,suchasthenaturalappetiteforadultery,
incest,murder,homosexualityetcitisthisrepressionofnaturaldesires
thatisthesourceofmodernneurosis.
(Freud2002)

ModernismsupportedFreudsviewofsociety,byactuallyusingthemesandmotifs

thatreflectedmanshiddenthoughtsanddesires.Itutilizedtheelementsofshock,

attack,sexualityandextremes.Itquestionedandredefinedtheartformsandstyles.It
27 Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Hannah Arendt. Section 3
Arendts Conception of Modernity
28 Ibid. Section 3
29 Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Hannah Arendt. Section 3.
30 Arendt, Hannah. Men in Bad Times. New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1968. Referenced within Hannah Arendt, Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy
 16

sorttobuildandtransformtradition,whilstembracingnewmethodologies,materials

andsubjects.Itbroughttheaudience,viewerandreaderintothecritiqueofreasonfor

anddoubtofitsexistence.

Modernityisacompositeofcontexts:atime,aspaceandanattitude.
Whatmakesaplaceoranobjectmoderndependsontheseconditions
(Giuntini2012)

ThatthisModernwasdegeneratehaditshistoricalcontext,whereitwasusedasa

propagandaweaponofcontrolandpower,butsocietysacceptanceoftheModern

changedandwasabletocomprehendandaccepttheexperimentalandexploration

thatwastakingplacewithinculture.Wherethedegeneratecontinuestochallengethe

Modern,inthePostmodernistera,iswithintheareasoftheartswhereboundariesare

stillbeingpushedbeyondlimits,unacceptabletocertainelementsofsociety.The

Moderncontinuestostrugglewiththemasscultureanddiverseopinionsofthe

creativeindustryanditisthesethatreactwhenitisconsideredthattheModernhas

crossedtheline.

ThecomposerKarlheinzStockhausenfamouslycommentedontheartisticnatureof

theSeptember11attacksonTheWorldTradeCenter,NewYork.Stockhausensaid

theattackswere:

The greatest work of art imaginable for the whole cosmos....

Minds achieve- ing something in an act that we couldnt even
dream of in music, people rehearsing like mad for 10 years,
preparing fanatically for a concert, and then dying, just
imagine what happened there. You have people who are that
focused on a performance and then 5,000 people are
dispatched to the afterlife, in a single moment. I couldnt do
that. By comparison, we composers are nothing. Artists, too,
sometimes try to go beyond the limits of what is feasible and
conceivable, so that we wake up, so that we open ourselves to
another world. (De Tar 2007)
 17

UltimatelyourperceptionoftheModernremainsapersonaljourneyofresponseto

theideologyofliberation.Ouracceptance,toleranceorartisticallyenquiringminds

andimaginationswillallowtheArtstoflourishinwhateverformitdemands.

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 18

Adorno, Theodor W. Two Pieces for String Quartet 1925-26

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