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 Halftitle page Title page Copyright page Contents List of Figures List of Plates Preface Acknowledgements Glossary and Abbreviations Introduction History and parameters of public art in the GDR: An overview The place of architectural art in post-1990 scholarship and history making Contexts of architectural art Commissioning Gender Sources and methodology Texts Works of art and design – an archaeological search Structure and chapters PART ONE Reconstruction, Art and Ornament (1945 to 1963) Chapter 1 Modernism, Realism and Muralism – the Struggle for Art in Post-fascist Germany Axes of modernity in the pre-war period The first national Dresden exhibition in 1946 The onset of the cultural Cold War Chapter 2 The Synthesis of Art and Architecture During the Transition to Industrialized Building Reorientation in Moscow Implementing the realist Modernist hybrid PART TWO Developing a Realist Modernism (1959 to 1973) Chapter 3 Reconceptualizing the Place of Art in the System-built Environment The future for art in architecture –reform and resistance The appearance of the new built environment Resistance to Schmidt’s conception Socialist beauty between art, the Bauhaus and dematerialization Departures towards a conception of design Realist-Modernist Colour Architectural art reconfigured as a function of design Conclusion Chapter 4 New Socialist Landscapes and the Building of Halle-Neustadt Halle-Neustadt: ‘A chance to change the world’ Complex Environmental Design in practice Iconography and interpretation The challenge of Complex Environmental Design in the late 1960s Chapter 5 Expanding the Remit of Realism in the Public Art of Halle-Neustadt Willi Sitte’s Kulturhalle painting Sigbert Fliegel’s conception for a dynamic programme of art and design Josep Renau’s panorama of murals for the Education Centre in Halle-Neustadt A troubled relationship with the Mexican collective mural tradition PART THREE From the Monumental to the Unreal (1973 to 1990) Chapter 6 A Space of Pure Possibility: The X. Weltfestspiele and its Impact on Public Art Evaluation of the X. Weltfestspiele The influence of the X. Weltfestspiele on the artistic concept for Marzahn Chapter 7 ‘Ultimately, Ordinary People Want to Have a Bit of Kitsch’: How Socialist Realism Looked Unreal Conclusion Select Bibliography List of Interviewees Biographies Index "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