20th-Century Art And War - Essay Example

20th century art and war The making of art in the twentieth century has been greatly influenced by conflicts andwars. Professional as well as freelance artists in different contexts across the world produced works of art that mirrored their world and their experience of war. The Germans who lost the first world war expressed their art in a deconstructionist manner as they came to terms with a new world with other superpowers. Art reflected the mind and soul of the people in wars such as the Falkland wars where a fierce striving for independence was reflected in art.

Deep and severe human suffering in the masses as wars raged were forever etched in art such as in Spanish and Vietnam wars. Hitler claimed the right to redefine German art because of his position and that of his colleagues in their quest of ethnic cleaning. The promotion of the Aryan race was the highest ideal for all German art according to Hitler. He made it clear that all art that did not conform to this ideal would not be tolerated by his regime. Portraits that displayed the best of the Aryan race were give preeminence in the art galleries as it served the double purpose of acting as a propaganda tool for the Hitler regime.

Guernica is a controversial painting that depicts the violence and starkness of war. It uses black, white and its varying shades, which makes it exude starkness, doom and gloom. It is art that is against everything that the Hitler regime stood for, as it depicts the horrors of the bombing of the town of Basque. The UN found itself in an uncomfortable situation when it had to speak about war with the painting in its background due to its history and fame. Talking about war is a form of communication as it communicates a message.

In this case, the messages were conflicting. Guernica spoke against war while the UN was planning for war. This made it untenable for Colin Powell to talk about war in Iraq with Guernica as his backdrop as it would be a contradiction. Loos abhorred ornamentation on objects of art because according to his understanding, it lessened the immortal beauty of its original nature. He had a moralistic approach to art in both objects and humans as he believed that they both had the capacity to become degenerate in nature and form.

A human being with tattoos was just as degenerate in society as was a work of art with ornamentation according to Loos. The Bauhaus was the combination of architecture, design, and art that is the foundation of modern art in construction in contemporary times. German in origin, it seeks to combine efficiency with smooth clean lines. Its focus was more on function that aesthetics which suited he post war mood for efficiency and recovery from the ruins of war. The old buildings which had been built in the classical European fashion became relics of their time as they gave way to the new clean lines in the Bauhaus design.

There was an academy Bauhaus that was built for the arts. It had glass walls and flat roofs, which was strange for the time. It was a symbol of renewal after the effects of the war. It mobilized all arts of building in order to come up with modern architectural design. The academy was closed down for a time because it was seen as an agent of political agenda but was later reopened when it got support from the supporters of social reform. Neo-plasticism is composed of straight lines and three basic colors.

The house is made to be very practical and flexible. Rietveld Schröderhuis is a house built on this design. It is the foundation of contemporary architectural structures and styles. Glass walls was a revolutionary concept at the time when the Rietveld Schröderhuis house was built but is now the most common feature of contemporary design throughout the world.