3.5. The Marketing of kitsch

The social hierarchy based on money and wealth in the mass consumption and industrial art is also present in the material culture. The fact is that the people responsible for marketing on crossover of the century have adapted the idea of presenting objects as status symbols. The objects contained the promise of social ascension, and that wrongly put relation had a harmful impact on the taste. Such marketing strategy had become common in the 1920s, but it’s known since 18th century, when the Wedgwood porcelain workshop put a higher price on the series for higher class than the versions for middle class and bourgeoisie. The commercial emphasized that that set already decorates a table of some Lord or a Lady. Richards’ (Gronow, 2000; 74) study shows that Queen Victoria herself often presented herself in commercials as a consumer role model. Advertising makes not only the product famous, but the person advertising it as well.

The commercials convey the message to the audience on what is good and what is bad taste. In fact – they are used to impose and control the taste of the consumer. The masses are manipulated, and kitsch becomes when real sensations are switched by false ones, by using old social clichés and misuse of patriotic, religious, mystical themes, elements of art works beyond their real context etc. The fact that a common man is more strongly attracted by a picture he finds close, that is in tune with his bad taste, and therefore gets him closer to what he aspires to. That is what’s used in advertisement.

3.6. Myth, kitsch and engaged art

The specific tendency towards myth that created some of the biggest artistic, religious and literary works of ancient and antique world still exists. But today it creates a pale fetishism or bad commercials. Therefore, the myth is one of the areas under which the influence of kitsch is the strongest. The succumbing of myth to kitsch begins when the mythical and ritual worth is prescribed to personals, elements and facts that don’t belong to it. The new, modern myths influence the creation of works of art or social and political breakthroughs even today. Their primary trait is the quick and implacable obsolescence, because of which a famous person is forgotten in a year. This false myth is trying to unite with the real one in order to gain effectiveness, but the looks and behavior of undeniable kitsch are derived from it. A big part of the ritual device, taste and sign that follow the movements like Fascism or Nazism; the imperial eagles, the salute and stance are a distinctive kitsch as well. The case is the same with false rituals like the rituals of Ku Klux Klan and some pseudo-religions like the Mormons, the Christian Science where neither the ritual nor the scenic approach are based on an authentic religious tradition. The cross, the swastika, the pyramid with the divine eye, the David’s star, the Zodiac signs… the authentic occult symbolism, as soon as they fall prey to the false ritualization – they became something false and join the pseudo-mythological institutions.

If often happens that engaged art, or rather the art with a message, is grounded on demagogical motives, exploiting the reactionary technique of effects and as such used for propaganda purposes. But, not all art with a message is kitsch. The way socialists, patriots, sportsmen, and situations that lead to socialist, war or peaceful solutions cannot be banned from the artists’ choice of themes. But their presentation should be the way they really are, rather than the way they would like them to be. That is what most commonly leads to the emergence of kitsch – the replacement of ethical with the aesthetic category, which imposes pretty work upon the artist, rather than work well done. Therefore – kitsch does not present the world “as it really is” – it rather presents it “the way people want it to be, or the way they are afraid of it”. While kitsch in art shows an analogue tendency, and in music it lives exclusively thanks to effects.

 

3.7. Kitsch in politics

What I am especially interested is – how are the elements of kitsch affecting the masses, and how has the politics taken advantage of it? The fact is that today, when art has to subjugate itself to politics or ideology, it transforms into kitsch. In the past – people could accept that fate or divinity empowered someone with super-human qualities (Alexander the Great, Caesar, Napoleon…), but modern dictatorships do not have it that way. Certainly, not all bad politics is kitsch, but dictatorships certainly are. Art today cannot have the figurative assignment it had in the past in the past and every attempt in that direction would turn into kitsch. Such was the case with episodes like Nazism, Fascism and Zhdanov Stalinism. The art of today liberates from any engagement in the sene in which the political function is only possible in countries like China, and similar. Propaganda is not only present in dictatorships and totalitarian regimes, but it is there that it most often gives birth to kitsch. The encouraging of kitsch is simply one of the cheapest roads through which the totalitarian regimes would like to appease their subjects. As the regimes cannot raise the cultural level of the masses, even if they wanted to, they flatter the masses by bringing the culture to their level instead. A Russian peasant would rather choose kitsch from a Picasso, because he can enjoy effortlessly enjoy in it. That is the reason why avant-garde is being continually banned. The main problem of avant-garde art, from the Fascist or Stalinist viewpoint, isn’t that they are too critical, but because it is too hard to put an efficient propaganda in it. Hitler was an advocate of kitsch, but when the masses asked for avant-garde art and literature – both he and Stalin granted the requested. It was necessary to create an illusion in the masses that they truly are in charge. The literature and art that they enjoy had to be labeled the only truth, and everything else had to be quelled. Mussolini supported the futurists for a long time, but that can probably be attributed to the fascism wanting to show its ability to go in line with the era (in order to hide the fact that it itself means backwardness), or he wanted to adjust to the taste of the rich elite which he served. But, Mussolini decides that it is best to appease the cultural taste of the Italian masses, rather than their lords. He announces a “new imperial style” which gives the masses items to inspire awe and worship. The previously accepted artists like Marinetti, De Chirico and such are therefore pushed into the background.

 

 

3. picture of a Baghdad museum on which Saddam Hussein is comparing himself with Nabucodonosor; 4. Benito Mussolini rises as a mighty and powerful Caesar; what Caesar started – Mussolini perfected and accomplished.

Another domestic example

 

An example of an undeveloped consumer culture regulated by the state was the case of Soviet Union. In Stalin’s times something called the “democratic luxury” was formed. The products that emulated the models and articles such as Champaign, cognac, caviar, chocolate, perfume, which were appreciated and considered to be a part of the world of “high society”, no doubt we can label as kitsch. The propaganda message was clear; every soviet worker lives as a real aristocrat or a member of bourgeoisie. At the same time – the fact was that there was a great deficiency in basic needs, like bread.

One of the primary mediums of propaganda in Fascism, Nazism and Stalinism was film. There the elements of setting certain peoples, ideals and political leaders above others was easily transformed into kitsch (for example, the kitsch of the beautiful blond hair in Nazism).

3.8. Elements of Kitsch in other areas of social life

 

 

Religion, tourism, traditional kitsch, film, birth and family, porno kitsch are are only some of the areas of everyday life filled with elements of kitsch. The area being too big will lead to me pointing out only certain problems.

A good deal of the holy painting, especially ones created in the last two centuries, we can put in the ranks of bad taste (Christ’s paintings encased in shells, photographical reconstructions of holy sights…) It can be said that today there is no real ecclesiastical art – only bad imitations becoming kitsch. The Christian kitsch is most probably the testimony of a huge loss of theological essence.

Death is also an important ally of kitsch. A vast majority of today’s tombs is filled with all kinds of symbols that are the last gesture of respect towards the deceased, expressed with bad taste. It may be that the breach of bad taste onto the area of death began precisely with the loss of respect towards death.

Another area typical for the kitsch as a phenomenon is tourism which turns every monument, every landscape and every object of folklore craftsmanship into kitsch.

 

 

Painting as an illustration of the above story, with an explanation

 

3.9. The conclusion of the research

 

 

As one of the important consequences of the development of modern, industrial society, the phenomenon of kitsch that initially comes from art is present. From its emergence until today, it shows no tendency of slowing down it’s expansion – quite the contrary. Today there are more and more elements of kitsch in other aspects of a man’s everyday life, starting from film, politics, tourism, family and ending with religious life. We can conclude that kitsch, at least partially, is the expression of a reactionary mentality and a perspective of the world.

Likable, manipulative, with recognizable symbols – kitsch imposes itself on the common man by way of mass communication used to control and determine the taste of the masses. It is impossible to avoid, because it is a direct produt of a mass culture to which our society belongs as well. It is most present within the middle class (the art of the masses) that tries to come closer to the higher class by use of visible symbols. That on its own doesn’t make a kitsch within the elite impossible. Kitsch is an auxiliary means of manipulating the taste of the masses. In crating false myths, political propaganda, marketing of different ideas and products, kitsch is likable and interesting, and it strikes its mark – imposes itself on the masses, and uses that to impose its message, no matter what it is.

The fact is that we are literally surrounded by kitsch objects, kitsch acting and primarily kitsch people that probably encompasses most of the population, and most likely - me included.