Picturing socialism [Elektronische Ressource] public art and design in East Germany

This vibrant history of the former German Democratic Republic’s public murals reveals a barely known but visually and theoretically rich cultural legacy. In the early 1990s, many artworks were dismantled or concealed in a direct political rejection of their socialist signification. Many others, falling into the categories of applied arts, were simply torn out because they were not comprehended to be art. Picturing Socialism traces the formal, functional and theoretical changes of the visual arts in urban space throughout this time, and shows how art, craft, design and architecture made up the terrain of a sustained struggle between practitioners and political leaders. This struggle was not the oft-assumed conflict between artistic freedom and political dogma. At stake was the self-identity of the socialist republic, and striking public murals functioned as the testing ground for East Germany’s ideological formation and development. The visual arts in architectural spaces were not simply viewed as pedagogical tools, but were charged with defining fundamental differences between the East German state and its affluent capitalist neighbour, the Federal Republic. Picturing Socialism provides an original, richly illustrated exploration into the function of socialist art, architecture and the impressive murals in East Germany’s public spaces. Cover page 1 Halftitle page 2 Title page 4 Copyright page 5 Contents 6 List of Figures 8 List of Plates 12 Preface 15 Acknowledgements 17 Glossary and Abbreviations 19 Introduction 22 History and parameters of public art in the GDR: An overview 26 The place of architectural art in post-1990 scholarship and history making 32 Contexts of architectural art 42 Commissioning 44 Gender 44 Sources and methodology 45 Texts 47 Works of art and design – an archaeological search 47 Structure and chapters 48 PART ONE Reconstruction, Art and Ornament (1945 to 1963) 50 Chapter 1 Modernism, Realism and Muralism – the Struggle for Art in Post-fascist Germany 52 Axes of modernity in the pre-war period 53 The first national Dresden exhibition in 1946 58 The onset of the cultural Cold War 65 Chapter 2 The Synthesis of Art and Architecture During the Transition to Industrialized Building 68 Reorientation in Moscow 77 Implementing the realist Modernist hybrid 79 PART TWO Developing a Realist Modernism (1959 to 1973) 100 Chapter 3 Reconceptualizing the Place of Art in the System-built Environment 102 The future for art in architecture –reform and resistance 103 The appearance of the new built environment 106 Resistance to Schmidt’s conception 107 Socialist beauty between art, the Bauhaus and dematerialization 107 Departures towards a conception of design 111 Realist-Modernist Colour 114 Architectural art reconfigured as a function of design 117 Conclusion 120 Chapter 4 New Socialist Landscapes and the Building of Halle-Neustadt 122 Halle-Neustadt: ‘A chance to change the world’ 126 Complex Environmental Design in practice 143 Iconography and interpretation 150 The challenge of Complex Environmental Design in the late 1960s 153 Chapter 5 Expanding the Remit of Realism in the Public Art of Halle-Neustadt 158 Willi Sitte’s Kulturhalle painting 162 Sigbert Fliegel’s conception for a dynamic programme of art and design 163 Josep Renau’s panorama of murals for the Education Centre in Halle-Neustadt 166 A troubled relationship with the Mexican collective mural tradition 174 PART THREE From the Monumental to the Unreal (1973 to 1990) 176 Chapter 6 A Space of Pure Possibility: The X. Weltfestspiele and its Impact on Public Art 178 Evaluation of the X. Weltfestspiele 190 The influence of the X. Weltfestspiele on the artistic concept for Marzahn 193 Chapter 7 ‘Ultimately, Ordinary People Want to Have a Bit of Kitsch’: How Socialist Realism Looked Unreal 200 Conclusion 222 Select Bibliography 228 List of Interviewees 231 Biographies 233 Index 240 "This vibrant history of the former German Democratic Republic's public art reveals a barely known but visually and theoretically rich cultural legacy. Picturing Socialism shows how works of art and design in the urban spaces of East Germany were the site of a sustained struggle between practitioners, critics and political leaders. This was not the oft-assumed conflict between artistic freedom and political dogma; at stake was the self-identity of the republic as socialist. Art and its relationship to architecture functioned as the testing ground for East Germany's relationship to socialist realism and modernism against the backdrop of Cold War competition from the neighbouring Federal Republic. Picturing Socialism makes a timely contribution to the recent groundswell of interest in the legacy of East Germany's art and architecture, illuminating and elucidating the public art which has been lost or remains under threat since unification in 1990"-- Provided by publisher "This history of the former German Democratic Republic's public murals reveals a barely known but visually and theoretically rich cultural legacy. This book traces the formal, functional and theoretical changes of the visual arts in the GDR's urban spaces. It shows how art, craft, design and architecture made up the terrain of a sustained struggle between practitioners and political leaders"-- Provided by publisher