SWEET KITSCH Aesthetic Problem: What constitutes the

aesthetic of a sweet kitsch?References: Kathleen Higgins, “Sweet Kitsch” Anthony Savile,

“Sentimentality

Robert Solomon “On Kitsch and Sentimentality”

OBJECTIVES AND CONCERNS Characterization of a sweet kitsch and

consideration of some suggested accounts of the effects sweet kitsch has on the observer who appreciates it

Discuss the charges that have been raised against sweet kitsch as a social and political evil

Question of what makes kitsch-objects kitsch

Conclude what constitutes the aesthetic of a sweet kitsch

KITSCH(English pronunciation: /ˈkɪtʃ/

, loanword from German)-characterized as a form of “really bad taste”,

“an incarnation of evil”... (Higgins)-art, objects, or design considered to be in poor

taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but appreciated in an ironic way (Webster dictionary)

 -purely for commercial purposes rather than works created as self-expression by an artist (Wikipedia)

- unacceptable in human experience/ existence- it resists precise definition (Calinescu)

EARLY USES OF THE TERM Kitsch became defined as an

aesthetically impoverished object of shoddy production, meant more to identify the consumer with a newly acquired class status than to invoke a genuine aesthetic response. In this sense, the word eventually came to mean "a slapping together" (of a work of art)

THE WIDOW kitsch example of late 19th century popular lithograph of a humorous painting by Frederick Dielman.

Sacriligious kitsch arts

SWEET KITSCH -art that appeals unsubstly and

unapologetically to the softer “sweeter” sentiments (Solomon, 1991)

-evokes emotions of the “touching” or “stirring” sorts (Kathleen Higgins)

-suitably described as “touching” or

“inspirational” by an appreciative observer

WIDE-EYED CHILDREN FIGURINES

GREETING CARDS

STUFFED TOYS

PAPELMEROTI

ARE YOU AFFECTED BY THIS KIND OF KITSCH? HOW?

Question:

WHAT DOES THIS KIND OF KITSCH DO TO AND/OR FOR ITS OBSERVER/AUDIENCE?

Question:

4 GENERAL TYPES OF EMOTIONAL BENEFITS TO THE OBSERVER WHO APPRECIATES IT (KATHLEEN HIGGINS)

1. Sweet kitsch makes the world sweeter and excludes what is intolerable

2. Sweet kitsch provides easy, effortless catharsis

3. Sweet kitsch serves as an aphrodisiac, a means of self-enjoyment

4. Sweet kitsch reassures its audience

SWEET KITSCH CAUSES 2 TEARS TO FLOW

If the greeting card is effective, we identify with the couple wandering in nature. What we enjoy is certainly not

some other people having a lovely time in love, but our own potential

lovely times in love.

CHAMPAIGNE ADVERTISEMENTS

At the time we see the ad. We are in love, and are immediately

stimulated to think beyond the ad to practicality: “I’ll buy some

champagne before my date with Paul tomorrow night”

CHARGES THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED AGAINST SWEET

KITSCH

Issue:

Important social concerns Presence of popularity of kitsch in modern

life They are often mentioned as paradigm

instances of “bad art” Its sentimentality and its virtues For some artists, the best emotions seem

to be the worst emotions “better shocking or sour than sweet?”

The art world of the time perceived the immense popularity of kitsch as a threat to culture

KANT’S ARGUMENT kitsch criticism is based on Immanuel Kant’s

philosophy of aesthetics. Kant describes the direct appeal to the senses as

"barbaric“ As an effect of these aesthetics, working with

emotional and "unmodern" or "archetypical" motifs was referred to as kitsch from the second half of the 19th century on. Kitsch is thus seen as "false

As Thomas Kulka writes, "the term kitsch was originally applied exclusively to paintings", but it soon spread to other disciplines, such as music. The term has been applied to painters, such as Ilya Repin,  composers, such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whom Herman Broch refers to as "genialischer kitsch", or "kitsch of genius

CLEMENT GREENBERG OBJECTED “Kitsch is mechanical and operated by

formulas” “Kitsch pretends to demand nothing of

its customers except their money—not even their time”

BROCH’S ARGUMENT “True art is good. Kitsch is evil” Accuses kitsch of not participating in the

development of art Kitsch involved trying to achieve

“beauty” instead of “truth” Any attempt to make something

beautiful would lead to kitsch Ex: Avant-Garde and Kitsch (arose in

order to defend aesthetic standards from the decline of taste involved in consumer society)

KARSTEN HARRIES ARGUMENT Concludes that kitsch is thus more

reflective than simple enjoyment in that it detaches itself from the original emotion in order to enjoy it

IS SWEET ITSELF HAVE SOCIALLY AND POLITICALLY

DESIRABLE EFFECTS ON THOSE WHO LIKE OR USE IT?

Question:

YES. IT HAS. Sweet kitsch can be used for

propagandistic purposes -it exploits the human capacity to respond

to an image as an “icon”- “categorial agreement” with the being- It can provide a sugar-coated for

virtually any kind of ideology  The art is controlled and formulated by

the needs of the market and given to a passive population which accepts it

ADOMO’S ARGUMENT “Art is supposed to be subjective,

challenging and oriented against the oppressiveness of the power structure

IS IT AFFECTED ON THE JUDGEMENT OF AN ARTWORK?

Question:

YES IT IS With the emergence

of postmodernism in the 1980s, the borders between kitsch and high art again became blurred

COULD WE ELIMINATE SWEET KITSCH FROM

MODERN LIFE?

Question:

CONCLUSION Kitsch is rather light hearted enterprise that

tends to make our world somewhat more charming if we are not put off by its ridiculousness (Lyell Henry)

Sweetening of life is the fundamental aim of sweet kitsch

Evil attitudes toward kitsch take it to be socially harmful

The problem lies in our poor opinion of the emotions in general and in particular, the “softer” sentiments

It should be guarded more against the superficial understanding of sweet kitsch than against it

“IT IS WISER TO EVOKE/DISGUST THE VIEWER RATHER THAN THE

GENTLE SENTIMENT”

For us, for young artists:

IS THE EFFECT OF SWEET KITSCH “BAD” OR “GOOD”?

Question:

POSTMODERNISM INTERPRETATIONS  As a result of this redefinition proposed by

Nerdrum, an increasing number of figurative painters are referring to themselves as "kitsch painters" and members of The Kitsch Movement

they downplayed the formal structure of the artwork in favor of elements that enter it by relating to other spheres of life.

Despite this, many in the art world continue to adhere to some sense of the dichotomy between art and kitsch, excluding all sentimental and ”realistic” art from being considered seriously. This has come under attack by critics, who argue for a renewed appreciation of academic art and traditional figurative painting, without the concern for it appearing innovative or new.

IN ANY CASE, WHATEVER DIFFICULTY THERE IS IN DEFINING BOUNDARIES

BETWEEN KITSCH AND FINE ART SINCE THE BEGINNING OF POSTMODERNISM,

THE WORD "KITSCH" STILL REMAINS IN COMMON USE TO LABEL ANYTHING

SEEN AS BEING IN POOR TASTE

Reality: