International Journal of Arts 2020, 10(1): 16-25 DOI: 10.5923/j.arts.20201001.03 Monumentality and Kitsch through a Relationship of Coexistence, Interaction, Conflict Stella Mouzakiotou Art Historian, Hellenic Open University & University of West Attica Abstract In this study there is a presentation of the concept and aesthetics of kitsch in art. Initially, an attempt is made to define the concept, to present the origin of the term and to highlight the key features that lead to its creation. Subsequently, the theoretical aspects of the kitsch concept are explored, as well as the emphasis on differences of the kitsch as a choice of political irony and kitsch as a style. Through this research we will show that it is grown rather early in school education. It is then enhanced through a multitude of cultural vehicles, the strongest of which is television, constantly bombarded with symbolic reports through advertisements, programs and news broadcasts. We will also explore the power of stereotypes and symbolic forms in people's lives, shaping a person's consciousness by promoting or inhibiting its collective political action. It is considered necessary to associate the term step by step with the Grotesque concept and its presence in the visual arts. In addition, the essay highlights its "exploitation" in totalitarian regimes and arts, such as visual arts and cinema, while research climaxes with the presentation of the political version of kitsch in the modern political life of Greece through the art of cartoon. The essay is finished with conclusions resulting from the analysis of the topic. Keywords Grotesque, Kitsch, Monumentality, Interaction, Political kitsch, Mass culture experiences that appeal to citizens' beliefs and feelings, 1. Introduction encouraging vanity, prejudices or unwarranted fears. While it may occasionally be annoying, in most cases, through its Kitsch, as a concept, varies according to the intention and incredible immediacy, it provides us with the ability to build aim of its creator. There is, on the one hand, the artist's and exploit the cultural myths and values of societies and to intentional use of excessive, ugly, ironic and pompous manipulate them in such a way as to create a strong political elements in his work to cause intense emotions, to convey fabrication that has been designed to reassure and comfort specific messages to the public, to cause comments and at the the observer - consumer. Its creators know the cultural same time counter-reactions. On the other hand, there is the prejudices of a particular audience and deliberately exploit version of kitsch that is clearly only an innocent, painless and them. So, through such a kaleidoscope of thoughts and unforced expression and aesthetics of its creator. aesthetic approaches, we will explore the concepts of While Umberto Eco argues that "the excessive "Monumentality" and "kitsch" through their coexistence, accumulation of kitsch elements is a remarkable stylistic interaction and conflict in the modern urban landscape. proposition," Walter Benjamin approaches the term stating that, unlike art, the presence of kitsch is found when any critical approach is absent in a critical approach between it 2. Chapter 1 and the observer. This is the case where the viewer is offered a direct emotional "analgesic" where the viewer does not A. Definition of kitsch need to make any intellectual effort to understand. In The term Kitsch has usually a deceptive orientation and addition, for Adorno, kitsch must maintain an inherent link renders the description of artistic works whose aesthetics are with "mass culture" through a trend that has prevailed so that meager and cheap, having as their overarching purpose the more and more people are getting closer to Art. superficial pleasure of the audience. First of all, the term Kitsch has also been described as an art that uses everyday relates to the designation of visual works, but was then "utilized" in all forms of art. * Corresponding author: The term appeared around 1870, in places of [email protected] (Stella Mouzakiotou) conversations about art in Munich, but its origin remains Published online at http://journal.sapub.org/arts uncertain. According to one version, it is etymologically Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Scientific & Academic Publishing This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International derived from the English word sketch, which was used by License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ English-born tourists as they were looking for works of International Journal of Arts 2020, 10(1): 16-25 17 mainly landscaping by indigenous creators. In another profiled the concept of kitsch when he said: "In fifty years version, the term derives from the German verb kitschen from now, Britain will still be the country with big shadows attributing the phrase "I gather mud on the road", meaning in in cricket areas, hot beer, unbeaten green suburb, amateur a deceptive way the visitors who gathered paintings without dogs and billiards" [3]. any aesthetic criterion. For the first time the term with its According to the Czech author Milan Kundera, "There is international significance was used in the 1930s. the kitsch behavior. The kitsch stop. The Kitsch mensch: the B. General approach of the political kitsch need to look at the deforming mirror of the embellishment and to recognize your face excited by satisfaction ... The Political kitsch is a form of propaganda that is designed to word kitsch denotes the attitude of the man who wants to at steer the public political thinking towards to a specific all costs be liked by most people. But to be liked, he has to direction. confirm everything the crowd wants to hear, he must be at This is, therefore, a form of manipulation that involves the service of the cliché ... ". In particular, he thinks that even familiar and easily understood forms of art, with the aim of if we want to distance ourselves from kitsch, that is an shaping, rebalancing and directing public thought. Kitsch integral part of our everyday life. The discerning writer, differs from art in that through the use of a constantly therefore, sees the necessity of it. [4] changing folk culture it turns into a powerful political While Umberto Eco argues that "the excessive weapon designed to "conquer" the receiver's consciousness. accumulation of kitsch elements is a remarkable stylistic It reaffirms with plausibility what the receiver supports and proposition," Walter Benjamin approaches the term stating facilitates him, by exploiting cultural myths and easily that, unlike art, the presence of kitsch is found when any understood symbolisms. critical approach is absent in a critical approach between it Kitsch has also been described as an art that uses everyday and the observer. This is the case where the viewer is offered experiences or that addresses the beliefs and feelings of a direct emotional analgesic, where the viewer does not have citizens by encouraging vanity, prejudice or unwarranted to make any mental effort to understand. In addition, for fears. While kitsch can be occasionally annoying, in most Adorno, kitsch must maintain an inextricable link with "mass cases, through its incredible immediacy, it provides us with culture" through a trend that has prevailed so that more and the ability to build and exploit the cultural myths of societies more people are getting closer to Art. [5] and to manipulate them in such a way as to create a strong Clement Greenberg believed that the innovation was political construction is designed to reassure and comfort the created to defend the patterns that arose from the decay of observer - consumer. Its creators know the cultural aesthetics that was perpetuated by the mass production of prejudices of a particular audience and deliberately exploit consumer society and saw kitsch and art as opposites. One of them. his most controversial claims was that kitsch was equivalent to academic art: "Everyone who is kitsch is an academic, and 3. Chapter 2 vice versa, what is academic is kitsch." He supported this view based on the fact that academic art focused on rules and A. Theoretical views that constitute the concept of kitsch forms taught and tried to make art incomprehensible and In this chapter we focus on a theatrical dialogue on kitsch, easy to understand. Later, of course, he was removed from which was created by Austrian novelists Hermann Broch this view of the equation of the two, as he was strongly (1886-1951) and Robert Musil (1880-1942) between 1930 criticized. [6] and 1950. More specifically, the two fiction writers make a B. Kitsch as an option for political irony and kitsch as a differentiation of value between real and pseudo-art (or style kitsch). Thus, their disagreement on this issue is emblematic Kitsch, as a concept, varies according to the intention and of the dilemmas that still exist today and need aesthetic feasibility of its creator. There is, on the one hand, the case of evaluation. While Broch's views deal with the aesthetics of the artist who deliberately and intentionally uses in his work speech through a metaphysical approach, assuming an the excessive, the ugly, the ironic and the pompous elements almost idealistic perception of art, Musil frames the to cause intense emotions, to convey to the public some distinction between "good" and "bad" art in an empirical, messages, to cause comments and counter reactions at the relativistic understanding of aesthetic experience [1]. same time. And on the other hand, there is the version of According to Catherine Lugg, "Kitsch is an art that deals kitsch that is clearly only an innocent, painless and unforced with emotions and deliberately ignores the intellect and as expression and aesthetics of its creator. such is a form of cultural anesthesia. This characteristic Charles Baudelaire in 1863, says that the lability of art was gives us the ability to build and exploit cultural myths - and caused by the emergence of the engraving technique that to handle a colliding story easily - that makes Kitsch a strong inevitably led to mass production (postcards, posters, and so political fabrication" [2].