Neoplasticism in Time, 1984, FILOART
While some works from a particular period, and a particular environment are valued as an Avant-garde pieces of art, only a couple of years later (in the same country) the same works can become degenerate pieces of art.
The Eclectic work “Neoplasticism in Time” refers to the work of Piet Mondrian (and Abstract art), and the reception and evalua- tion of his work in different times.
About Time 1933 – 1945
Until 1933 a lot of works of Modern art were in collections of German (Weimar Republic) museums. But when Hitler came into power in 1933, in the beginning he started implementing his program. And one of the topics was, “cleansing” German museums and galleries from Modern Art.
Works, which belong to styles like: Expressionism, Impression- ism, Dadaism, New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit), Surrealism, Cubism, Fauvism or Neoplasticism, had to be removed from museum exhibition spaces. In 1937 it peaked when a big part of the Modern artworks, got collected from different German museums and brought to Munich (“the new Athens of art”) to exhibit them as: “Entartete Kunst” (Degenerated Art)*.
This exhibition was organized to “educate” bright masses about “Degenerated art” and what is “valuable art” (at the same time, just across the street in Munich, the exhibition “Das Grosse Deutsche Ausstellung” was taking place at the Haus der Deut- sche Kunst, now called Haus der Kunst).
On the other hand this exhibition was also made to discipline artists. They had “four years**” (1933 – 1937) to change their style and work to please the “Führer”. Some of them did just that. Those who refused were not allowed to work or to exhibit. Many of the artists went into exile; some of them were interned or killed.
We all know about the greatest tragedy that happened to an entire ethic group: the Jews. From day to day they were labeled as “the others,” “the enemies,” “evil”. In the exhibition “Entartete Kunst” there was an extra room named “Jewish art”.
The works in this room were presented according to the origin of the artists.
About the work
A Swastika is placed over a white background, inside the square. . A citation of the Neoplastic work of Piet Mondrian can be seen inside the Swastika. Four unnoticeable Stars of David become visible, cut out from the contour of the swastika.
The colors that Mondrian usually used on his work (blue or red) are missing in the citation of his. This work is made only with black and yellow colors.
It is known that the work of Piet Mondrian, which was bought from the The Lower Saxony State Museum in Hannover and was exhibit in the exhibition “Entartete Kunst” (Degenerated Art). “Neoplasticism in Time” reflects exactly this time period (1933- 1945) in a visible, minimalistic, precise and recognizable way.
About Time 1987
The presentation “This is not an Exhibition but the Opposite of it” (1987) was a conceptual work/presentation, which places the “history of art” as the topic of the presentation and opens a lot of questions, about what art is, the meaning of art in history, and it even makes the history of art questionable in itself.
It is indescribable, that “Neoplasticism in Time”, which deals with the darkest human era, becomes the victim of willful mis- interpretation.
In a so-called socialist country, fifty years after the exhibition “Entartete Kunst”, this work “Neoplasticism in Time” together with the entire exhibition “This is not an Exhibition but the Op- posite of it”, was closed and forbidden.
What were the reasons? A lack of information about history and art history? Hardly.
Hunting and campaigning against “the others”? Conceivable!
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*Even if Adolf Ziegler was commissioned to cleanse museums and gal- leries from the so called “Entartete Kunst” (Degenerate Art) and served as the official organizer of the exhibition, the real ideologist and curator of this exhibition was Adolf Hitler (photo documentation).
**”Sie hatten vier Jahre Zeit” (they had four years’ time) it was written on a poster in the Entartete Kunst Exhibition. Its meaning was that modern artist had four years, to change their orientation.
***In the very beginning when the Nazis came to the power, they removed a part of the Academy members (who were not likeminded). So they had to reapply for the same position that they used to have.