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Bibliography:
ARTH100 class notes
Heartfield, John. Swallows Gold and Spouts Rubbish. 1923. Photo Montage.
Kandinsky, Vasily. Sketch for Composition II. 1910. Oil on Canvas. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Kirchner, Ernst Ludwig. Street Dresden. 1908. Oil on Canvas. Museum of Modern Art.
Kirchner, Ernst Ludwig. Self Portrait as a Soldier. 1915. Oil on Canvas.
Schwitters, Kurt. Urosonate. Cabaret Voltaire. 1932. Performance. Youtube.

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Along with visible damage and distress after WWI to specific cities such as Berlin, Zurich, New York came psychological distress, anxiety, confusion, and a world-wide desire to escape; this is heavily displayed through the works of art within this exhibit. As some pre-WWI pieces such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s Street Dresden evoke anxiety, fear, and display tormented sexuality, other pieces such as Vasily Kandinsky’s Composition II depict a world perhaps better than the one viewers live in, which provides a feeling of accessible hope. On the other hand, post-WWI pieces seem to operate in a different way: Kirchner’s Self Portrait as a Soldier depicts Kirchner himself, because of the effects of war, as a debilitated artist. Alongside of this, Kurt Schwitters sound-poem entitled Ursonate reflects the inability to form real words through his random sound-collage because of the mess that the war has created; these two pieces differently, but equally effectively, provide viewers with access of the often underscored effects of war.

More frequently than not, it seems to be forgotten that any war, let alone a world-war, has the ability to strip the public more than just tangibly; even though some of these works are produced in between WWI and WWII, it shows the continuous mental battle, especially when Hitler gained power. As this is the case, artists create safe-havens for the public not only through works of art, but also through spaces such as Cabaret Voltaire. As this cabaret was cultivated as a direct response to the rise of Fascism and Dictatorship, it provided artists and audiences with a new approach as to how to deal with the mental distress of war through the unique performances that took place there; this provided an actual escape from a place that was devastated by war and suffering from severe economic and social damage, similar to how Kandinsky’s Composition II provides a sort of mental escape.

Although it is true that the pieces of art within this exhibit are extremely diverse in terms of their displayed mediums, colors, uses of lines, and overall appearances, they are all targeting the same issues of war. As art is something frequently turned to in times of distress or confusion, it certainly proved to be true pre and post-war. During this time, it seemed as though many artists found themselves even lucky to be alive, and the awareness of social and economical issues was spread immensely, and art since has been forever changed.

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Created in 1923, John Heartfield's Swallows Gold and Soupts Rubbish is displayed through photomontage, which is explicitly political. This image depicts Adolf Hitler consuming gold and completely taking it in to the point where it appears as though he is made from gold and therefore depends on it in order to stay alive.The gold in this image is stacked up in a pile and acts as a spine, while other pieces of gold are simply sitting in his stomach, implying that the gold is his form of nutrients. Hitler's mouth is wide open as if he is about to make a command, statement, or yell in general; this is reflected in the title as well, as he is described to "spout rubbish." This is highly relevant to WWI, as Hitler is the direct cause for a great deal of destruction. It is also noteworthy that this image is created with photomontage, as Heartfield is taking a public image of Hitler, editing it, and then feeding it against the public in a way that is meant to be mass-distributed and produced.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X7E2i0KMqM

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Kurt Schwitters's soundpoem entitled Ursonate was created in 1932. This piece is certainly meant to be performed, and it is read as a sort of sound-collage. There is a direct silliness displayed in this piece through random words and sounds. Alongside of this, there is a lack of any sort of narrative, which provokes discomfort to those who are listening to it; this piece evoked anger, confusion, and wonder as to what Schwitters was even doing. As this performance identifies with the Artistic Movement entitled "Dada," it is specifically a post-war response to chaos and psychological destruction, as the aftermath of war was so debilitating the only words formable after such trauma were those similar to "da da da da da." As this entire movement and more specifically Schwitters's sound-poem appear light-hearted and childish, it actually portrays the effects of war, even years following the end of WWI, very accurately. In addition to this, this performance also proves that it takes a great deal of time to heal after war, not just physically but also psychologically.

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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Street Dresden, 1908. Belonging to the German Expressionism group entitled "Die Brucke," which is home to the broader movement entitled "Fauvism;" Fauvism depicts vibrant, bold, and wild colors. Specific themes that are associated with this group include anxiety, psychiatric distress, tormented sexuality, and pressures of mass society. Paired with these themes are formal qualities which include angular lines, claustrophobic space, vivid color, and a non-naturalistic resonance. This painting particularly depicts zombie-like, dehumanized figures that make the space seem widely uncomfortable. These figures are not welcoming, in fact, they make up a faceless body of people; even the child-like figure is terrifying. This is noteworthy is relation to a time surrounding war as many cities found themselves in the midst of chaos; times were extremely dark both socially and economically. This is further depicted in Street Dresden through the female figure in the front of the painting; on top of being dehumanized and having black holes for eyes, this woman is one of the more clear figures in this body of people: she is lifting up her petticoat, implying that she is a prostitute. As this figure appears to be sort of leading the pack, it does not speak well for those surrounding her.

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Vasily Kandinsky, Sketch for 'Composition II," 1910. This piece belongs to the second major German Expressionist group entitled "Der Blue Reiter." This group depicts themes such as spirituality, an escape from modernity, primitivism, a connection between visual art and music, and spontaneity. Paired with these themes are formal qualities which include bold, expressive use of color, rhythmic and lyrical use of lines, and also features a cubist and fauvist technique, which is more abstract than Die Brucke. This piece in particular embodies a biblical resonation, as it displays a resemblance to a horseback apocalypse. It provides an escape for viewers during a time where the world seemed entirely dark and harsh as an effect of war, and it sheds light on the idea that there is perhaps a better, more peaceful place to be than in a world with war and chaos.

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Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Self-Portrait as a Soldier, 1915. This piece depicts Kirchner as a soldier, although he never actually served in the front line, he only volunteered himself as a driver. This representation reflects Kirchner's inability to work because of the psychological trauma that the war has implemented on him; he is debilitated as an artist and as portrayed through his bloody, stump of a hand in his self-portrait, he is unable to paint and produce art, and alongside of this, he portrays himself to have empty, dark sockets for eyes. It is noteworthy that Kirchner was never actually a soldier, because it shows that even a task that seems to simple, a driver, completely psychologically debilitated Kirchner enough to paint himself unable to paint; war messed with Kirchner's head far too much to continue to live the life of the artist that he once did.