Art religion
Art religion is not a theoretically determined or practically practiced form of religion , but a term used in philosophy , art criticism and literary criticism (often with negative ironic connotations) that refers to certain forms of sacred art . What is meant is an attitude that tries to assign a religious or supra-social role ( guru , messiah , god of art) to art or the artist .
Delimitation of the term
Despite or precisely because of its widespread use in art and literary criticism, philosophy and theology , the term “art religion” can still be regarded as theoretically indefinite today. As a rule, it does not refer to traditional religious art (e.g. medieval icons ), the aim of which is to convey religious or theological content and which takes on a serving, mediating role. “Art religion” rather means or criticizes the claim that art abandons its serving role and tries to take the place of religion. In some places, the term is used as a synonym for pseudo-religions or world views (art-religion = artificial religion).
18th century
In the course of the turning away from the Enlightenment , as expressed in the sensitivity of the 18th century, the appreciation of art as an expression of subjective feelings takes its starting point and at the same time begins the cultic veneration of artists and artistry. Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1724–1803) was already regarded by his contemporaries as a “holy poet” and was almost revered like the hero of his main work, the “ Messiah (Klopstock) ” (1748), the capture, execution, resurrection and ascension of Jesus in poetic form Verses summarize. Sections of the work are said to have been used in Wörlitz in the last supper liturgy at the beginning of the 19th century . The philosopher Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768–1834) probably used the term “art religion” for the first time. But whether he has a religious upgrading of art in mind is a matter of dispute. Sturm und Drang take up the motif of heroising the artist and elevate it to a cult of genius (“original genius ”).
romance
In the course of the Romantic era , subjective experience began to be valued further, accompanied by a steadily growing appreciation of artists and artistic production. Socially, it can be understood as a counter-movement to the comprehensive secularization that shaped the 19th century and is accompanied by phenomena such as industrialization . Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroders (1773–1798) “ Heart pourings of an art-loving monastery brother ” (Berlin 1797) formulate the art-religious creed of Romanticism as follows: “I compare the enjoyment of noble works of art to prayer. (...) He ... is a darling of heaven, who waits with humble longing for the chosen hours, since the mild heavenly ray descends voluntarily to him, splits the shell of earthly insignificance ..., and dissolves his noble interior ... then he kneels down, turns the open breast in silent delight against the sky, and saturate it with the ethereal light ... That is the true opinion that I have about prayer. ”(quoted from gutenberg.spiegel.de)
Late Romanticism
The increasing appreciation of art and artists up to the "art religion" reached its peak around the turn of the century . Writers, painters or musicians stylize themselves as figures of salvation who produce sacred or pseudo-religious works. Richard Wagner's “ Parsifal ” (1882) no longer wants to be an opera, but a stage dedication festival , the performance of which, according to the composer's wishes, is restricted to a certain location ( Bayreuth ). Similar art-religious beliefs manifest themselves in the pseudo feudal castles of Ludwig II (1845–1886) (e.g. Neuschwanstein , 1869; Herrenchiemsee , 1878), which attempt to conjure up absolutist royalty with the means of historicist architecture. Literature, too, increased its claim to importance at the turn of the century to an art-religious level. Stefan George (1868–1933) gathers adepts around him like a priest in the Hermetic George Circle and outwardly stylizes himself as a guru. Rainer Maria Rilke's (1875–1926) lyrically elevated interpretation of the world in the “ Duineser Elegien ” (1912–1922) bears just as much art-religious traits as Friedrich Nietzsche's (1844–1900) “ Also sprach Zarathustra ” (1883–1885), which implicitly establishes a Kind of substitute religion and even linguistically based on the German of the Luther Bible.
Art Nouveau
The Art Nouveau takes the from the late Romanticism to art formulated religious claim snippets especially in architecture , design , arts and crafts and decoration over so could speak of an externalization art religious thought at times. The aim is a comprehensive aestheticization of all (bourgeois) areas of life in the sense of a total work of art that integrates the arts . Josef Hoffmann's (1870–1956) Palais Stoclet in Brussels (1905–1911) formulates this claim most emphatically, but also the works of Otto Wagner (1841–1918), Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868–1928) and above all Joseph Maria Olbrich ( 1867–1908) have art-religious traits (see also Vienna Secession ). In painting, artists such as Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) or Max Klinger (1857–1920) stand for the art-religious claim of that time. The draftsman and painter Fidus (1868–1948) is close to the life reform movement and vegetarianism. He drafts plans for gigantic temples for a new religion of nature and light, in which the faithful should gather for devotion.
Modern
The modern age of the early 20th century tries to distance itself from the art-religious claim of late romanticism and art nouveau, but succumbs again and again to the temptation to stylize artists as heroes and saviors and to trust art with an impact that goes beyond everyday life. Even the comprehensive socio-political claim of the Bauhaus bears strong art-religious traits, and its teachers (e.g. Johannes Itten , 1888–1967) continue the romantic tradition of appearing as a guru. Modern architects in particular formulate and design models of comprehensive world improvement based on religious art. Le Corbusier's (1887–1965) “Ville Contemporaine” (contemporary city for three million inhabitants, 1922) wants to lead people out of the gloomy backyards of the Wilhelminian era into a bright world of modern order, and at the center of Bruno Tauts (1880–1938) “ Stadtkrone ”(1919) is a shining“ crystal house ”which is intended to convey aesthetic experiences“ completely detached from the purpose, as pure architecture ”(Taut). Last but not least, the anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) in its artistic forms (e.g. Goetheanum in Dornach, 1914–1922) has a strong art-religious claim (see also eurythmy ).
National Socialism and Fascism
Although it makes sense to link the aesthetic productions of National Socialism and Italian fascism with the claims of the religion of art, such an interpretation would remain superficial. Although Albert Speer's pathetic light domes (1905–1981), the manipulative films of Leni Riefenstahl (1902–2003) or the formalistic architecture of Giuseppe Terragnis (1904–1943) bear the external characteristics of “art-religious art”, their intention is by no means aimed at upgrading of art itself. Rather, the focus is on the glorification of an ideology or a dictator ( Hitler , Mussolini ) as a supposed salvation figure. In this respect, the role of art here is apparently conventionally "serving" and by no means autonomous, i.e. art-religious.
Post-war and late 20th century
Marked by the world war and the experience of fascism, the post-war period and the late 20th century were marked by a strong distancing from art-religious attitudes. Literature and art are characterized by sobriety and coolness; Pathos and solemnity are rather frowned upon and at most sound broken. B. in the poetry of Ingeborg Bachmann (1926–1973). It was only from the late sixties onwards that there was a clear tendency to stylize artists again as saviors, which goes hand in hand with the development of new artistic forms ( conceptual art , actionism ). In addition to the action artist Hermann Nitsch (born 1938), Joseph Beuys (1921–1986) in particular can be mentioned as an example of an art-religious protagonist of this time. The late 1980s and early 1990s remained rather free from art-religious claims.
present
In recent times, a new tendency can be observed within the cultural sciences and also among curators and artists to believe that art has religious significance and sacred power again. This trend goes hand in hand with the attempt to theoretically define the term “art religion” for the first time more precisely and to place it in the cultural history of modern times.
See also
literature
- Bernd Auerochs: The Origin of the Art Religion . In: Palaestra. Research on European literature . ISSN 0303-4607 . Vol. 323 (2006).
- Bernd Auerochs: Art religion. Studies of their prehistory in German literature of the 18th century . Habilitation thesis, University of Jena 1999.
- Nicole Heinkel: Religious art, art religion and overcoming secularization. Early romanticism as a longing and search for the lost religion. Represented on the basis of the statements of early literary romanticism on the visual arts . Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2004.
- Ernst Müller: Aesthetic religiosity and art religion in the philosophies from the Enlightenment to the end of German idealism . Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 2004.
- Berlin artist program of the DAAD (ed.): The tendency towards the total work of art. European utopias since 1800 . Supplement to the exhibition in the orangery of Charlottenburg Palace, December 22, 1983 to February 19, 1984. Berlin 1983.
- Trends of the Twenties. 15th European Art Exhibition Berlin 1977 (August 14 - October 16, 1977) . Reimer, Berlin 1977.
- Ulrich Conrads (ed.): Programs and manifestos on architecture of the 20th century . Bertelsmann-Fachverlag, 1971. (= Bauwelt-Fundamente, Vol. 1)
- Wolf-Daniel Hartwich: German Mythology. The invention of a national art religion . Philo Verlagsgesellschaft, Berlin 2000. ISBN 3-8257-0083-6 .
- Daniel Schneller: Richard Wagner's “Parsifal” and the renewal of the mystery drama in Bayreuth. The vision of the Gesamtkunstwerk as a universal culture of the future . Lang, Bern 1997. ISBN 3-906757-26-9 (therein the chapter The term “Gesamtkunstwerk” ).
- Richard Faber , Volkhard Krech (ed.): Art and religion. Studies in cultural sociology and cultural history . Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 1999. ISBN 3-8260-1553-3 .
- Wolfgang Braungart : Aesthetic Catholicism. Stefan George's Rituals of Literature . Niemeyer, Tübingen 1997 (= Communicatio. Studies on European literary and cultural history, vol. 15).
- Constantin Plaul: The imagination of perfect education. Schleiermacher's early romantic idea of a future "art religion" . In: Manfred Lang (ed.): Words and Pictures. Contributions to theology, Christian archeology and church art, Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Leipzig 2011. ISBN 978-3-374-02870-2 . Pp. 187-207.
- Albert Meier / Alessandro Costazza / Gérard Laudin (eds.): Art religion. An aesthetic concept of modernity in its historical development. Volume 1: The origin of the concept around 1800. - Volume 2: The radicalization of the concept after 1850. - Volume 3: Diversification of the concept around 2000. Berlin - Boston 2011-14.