Avant-Garde and Kitsch



Sassy Mona Lisa



The line between art and Kitsch can be subjective; it often depends on our perspective and the cultural context. Some claim the painting of the Mona Lisa to be the greatest (kitsch) masterpiece of all time. Some consider kitsch “low art,” and others attribute sentimental or high commercial value to what many consider kitsch art. Thomas Kinkade is known as the self-designated ‘painter of light’. In Kinkade’s paintings, cozy bungalows and white churches welcome the viewer with bright golden windows…Kinkade’s images are produced in a huge variety of marketable formats and seven series of limited editions, as well as calendars, coasters, mugs, and Hallmark cards” (Freeland 63). Not only does this art business define many of the characteristics of kitsch but it is collected with mass appeal by a wealthier audience. This goes to show that the “low art” model is not equated with the lower income collectors but rather with taste. Without curiosity and a little appetite for creative expression, the artist's message is lost; therefore, why bother seeking a unique aesthetic experience? This theory emphasizes another defining characteristic of kitsch, its mass-market appeal and the reproducibility of the art. Clement Greenberg defines kitsch as “something vulgar and popular with great mass appeal.” Although the kitsch genre may be considered “low art,” it remains the easiest and most profitable path to financial success in the arts. Greensburg describes the art market and discusses its inherent paradox.“The masses have always remained more or less indifferent to culture in the development process. But today, such culture is being abandoned by those to whom it actually belongs—our ruling class. For it is to the latter that the avant-garde belongs. No culture can develop without a social bias, without a source of stable income... The paradox is real.” (7)

Freeland writes about Komar and Melamid’s study of Artistic Taste for the Nation’s magazine. Their findings reveal a mass preference for realism, the color blue, and landscapes with water and mountains (63). In the majority of North America and its puritanical, patriarchal social order, there is a common distrust and dislike for abstract art that pushes boundaries and raises questions. This is reflected in the current administration, which intends to dismantle funding in the arts and news media that support equality, diversity, and free speech. (NEA.gov .)

Indonesian Art Market (image courtesy of the Culture Trip)

 

Capitalism can freely control the flow of kitsch with our love of tourism, ease of mass-market art reproductions, mass-produced figurines, and overly sentimental baby and animal portraits. Greensburg’s 1939 essay “Avant-Garde and Kitsch” describes kitsch as superficial and lacking intellect and the artistic purpose of high art. Many will critique Greensburg for his polarization of kitsch and dismissing the genre and its importance to art culture. Before this cultural understanding and prominent term of the 20th Century, mass-produced decorative items were known, sold, or traded as souvenirs. In the Roman and Greek era, there were vases, in the Middle Ages, there were cheap relics of religious art, and in the Victorian era, there were porcelain figures and prints. Kitsch became a concept during the Industrial Revolution, and the delineation between fine arts and mass-produced items became less meaningful. Greenberg describes the timelessness of true avant-garde art and references Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky, Klee, Matisse, and more, who derive their chief inspiration from their work medium. This specific characteristic is one way to set apart handmade art with a purpose versus mass-produced art. Yet, it does not consider the many forms of 20th-century kitsch art that have been reclaimed, celebrated, imitated, and collected since their creation. I believe many art forms collaborate to tell a story of the time, culture, and human understanding of an era. It is up to the individual to learn from and appreciate the art they choose to encounter.

References

Greenberg, C. Avant-Garde & Kitsch. 1939

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