Weimar Berlin: Bittersweet Metropolis (1/6)
Summary
TLDRThe video script explores the Weimar Republic era in Germany, a time of cultural and artistic renaissance following World War I's devastation. It delves into the birth of the new German constitution in Weimar, the flourishing of cinema, the shift from Expressionism to New Objectivity in arts, the influential Bauhaus movement, and the significant role of music, with composers reflecting the socio-political changes of the time. Despite economic instability and political turmoil, the period was marked by a vibrant and diverse cultural scene that shaped modern Germany.
Takeaways
- 🎼 The Weimar Republic marked the beginning of an extraordinary period of artistic experimentation in Germany, starting a century ago in the city of Weimar.
- 🏛 Weimar was historically a peaceful cultural center, known for figures like Goethe and Schiller, and became the birthplace of the new German constitution post-World War I.
- 🌐 The shift from an imperial world to a democratic one was challenging, reflecting the broader societal and economic upheavals of the time.
- 🎬 Cinema experienced a meteoric rise during the Weimar Republic, becoming a major cultural force and reflecting the diverse and divided society.
- 🎭 The mid-1920s saw a shift in German cinema from stylized expressionist films to more realistic portrayals of contemporary life, influenced by the New Objectivity movement in the arts.
- 👩🎨 The New Objectivity movement in visual arts focused on the grim social consequences of World War I, with artists like Grosz and Dix depicting the harsh realities of the time.
- 🏢 The Bauhaus school, founded in 1919, was a response to cultural collapse, advocating for functional and austere design, free from ornamental lies.
- 🎵 Post-World War I, music saw a shift from grandiosity to smaller ensembles with a social function, with composers like Kurt Weill and Paul Hindemith leading the change.
- 👥 The Bauhaus was inclusive, with women playing key roles in its vision, reflecting the broader societal changes, such as women's suffrage, during the Weimar Republic.
- 😄 Despite the hardships of the 1920s, including inflation and political instability, there was a rise in humor and light-heartedness in art and culture.
- ⏳ The Weimar Republic was a time of enthralling cultural development but also dangerous political and economic volatility, setting the stage for the tumultuous 1930s.
Q & A
Who is the speaker in the video script and what is his role?
-The speaker is Gavin Plumley, a cultural historian and the series advisor for the Philharmonia Orchestra's 'Weimar Berlin: Bittersweet Metropolis'.
What era does the script discuss and what was its starting point?
-The script discusses the era of the Weimar Republic, which began exactly a century ago from the time of the script, starting in the city of Weimar.
What was the political situation in Europe after the First World War according to the script?
-Europe was in tatters with old political systems on their knees, and millions had been slaughtered, with Germany being held largely responsible according to the Treaty of Versailles.
How did the city of Weimar change its role from the past to the era of the Weimar Republic?
-Previously a peaceful cultural center known for figures like Goethe and Schiller, Weimar became a political hub where the new German constitution was agreed upon, representing a fresh start.
What significant shift in German arts occurred during the Weimar Republic?
-There was an extraordinary period of artistic experimentation, with a shift from emotional subjectivity in Expressionism to detached objectivity in New Objectivity.
How did the First World War impact Germany's societal and cultural landscape?
-The war caused a brutal caesura, changing Germany from a triumphant, technologically advanced nation to a defeated, poor, and almost ungovernable country with evaporated values.
What was the significance of cinema during the Weimar Republic?
-Cinema had a meteoric rise, becoming a major supplier of new thrills and sensations for a diverse and divided society, and epitomizing urban modernity.
What was the mid-20s shift in German cinema and what influenced it?
-There was a shift away from stylization towards reflecting contemporary German reality, influenced by the growing confidence of the German film industry and a more friendly international attitude towards Germany.
What was the Bauhaus movement and what was its core philosophy?
-The Bauhaus was an art school founded in Weimar in 1919 that focused on functionality and austerity, rejecting ornamentation as a lie and striving for a world that was pure and functional.
Who were some of the key figures associated with the Bauhaus movement?
-Key figures included the founding director Walter Gropius, painter Wassily Kandinsky, carpenter Marcel Breuer, architect Mies van der Rohe, textile artist Anni Albers, and silversmith Marianne Brant.
How did music evolve during the Weimar Republic, according to the script?
-Music shifted from post-Romantic opulence to a focus on smaller ensembles and social function, with composers like Kurt Weill, Paul Hindemith, Hanns Eisler, and Alban Berg contributing to this change.
Outlines
🎼 Weimar Berlin: The Birth of a New Republic
This paragraph introduces the Weimar Republic era in Germany, beginning with the establishment of the new German constitution in Weimar's National Theatre. It discusses the cultural and political shift from an imperial past to a democratic future, marked by the aftermath of World War I. The paragraph highlights the city's historical significance as a cultural center, the challenges faced by Germany post-war, and the flourishing of artistic expression during this period. It also touches on the rise of cinema as a significant art form and its reflection of the diverse and divided society of the time.
🎨 The Dichotomy of Weimar Art: Expressionism and New Objectivity
The second paragraph delves into the artistic movements of the Weimar Republic, focusing on the contrast between Expressionism and New Objectivity. It describes Expressionism's emphasis on emotional subjectivity and its portrayal of the war's horror, as well as the shift towards New Objectivity, which embraced a detached, rational, and realistic approach to art. The paragraph also discusses the influence of the Bauhaus movement, its philosophy of functional and pure design, and the notable figures associated with it. Additionally, it mentions the role of music and composers like Kurt Weill and Paul Hindemith in reflecting the social and cultural changes of the era.
🏙️ The Weimar Republic's Cultural Impact and Challenges
The final paragraph of the script invites the audience to explore the cultural landscape of the Weimar Republic, emphasizing its diverse and thrilling new culture. It acknowledges the challenges posed by the violently fluctuating economy, a divided society, and the political instability of the time. The paragraph sets the stage for a journey through Germany to understand the complexities and vibrancy of the Weimar period, leading into the turbulent 1930s.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Weimar Republic
💡Cultural Historian
💡Treaty of Versailles
💡Expressionism
💡New Objectivity
💡Bauhaus
💡Gebrauchsmusik
💡Inflationary Chaos
💡Cinema
💡Walter Gropius
💡Political Lurches
Highlights
Introduction to the Weimar Berlin: Bittersweet Metropolis series by cultural historian Gavin Plumley.
Exploration of the Weimar Republic era, beginning in Weimar city a century ago amidst a devastated Europe.
Germany's blame and the Treaty of Versailles' impact on the country's perception post-World War I.
The creation of a new German constitution by Social Democrats in the National Theatre in Weimar.
Weimar's history as a cultural center with figures like Goethe and Schiller, transitioning to a political focus.
The artistic experimentation period following the new constitution, a shift from pre-war Germany.
The transformation of Germany from a triumphant story to a devastated nation after World War I.
Cultural shift from an old imperial world to a democratic, metropolitan society during the Weimar Republic.
The rise of cinema as a major art form and its reflection of the diverse and divided society.
The societal and economic context influencing the popularity of cinema as a source of new thrills.
Evolution in German cinema from silent films to talkies and the industry's growing confidence.
The emergence of New Objectivity in visual arts and its focus on the social consequences of World War I.
The dichotomy between emotional subjectivity and detached objectivity in Weimar arts.
The founding of the Bauhaus school and its principles of functionality and austerity in design.
Walter Gropius's vision for the Bauhaus, eliminating barriers between artists and craftsmen.
The role of women in the Bauhaus and their contribution to the new Republic.
The change in music composition post-World War I, focusing on smaller ensembles and social function.
The introduction of humor in music and plays as a response to the hardships of the 1920s.
The challenges of the Weimar Republic, including a fluctuating economy and divided society.
Invitation to explore the diverse new culture born from the Weimar Republic a century ago.
Transcripts
Welcome to Germany. My name is Gavin Plumley.
I'm a cultural historian and the series advisor
for the Philharmonia Orchestra's "Weimar Berlin: Bittersweet Metropolis".
Over the next few months we'll be guiding you
through the exciting and sometimes treacherous era
of the Weimar Republic.
And it all began here, in the city of Weimar,
exactly a century ago.
Europe was in tatters.
Old political systems were on their knees.
Millions had been slaughtered.
And Germany was entirely to blame,
at least according to the Treaty of Versailles.
But despite the pervasive negativity and factionalism
of the immediate post-war period,
a new German constitution was conceived by the Social Democrats.
and agreed in this building, the National Theatre in Weimar.
Previously, this city had been home to great writers
and cultural figures, including Goethe and Schiller.
Weimar was a peaceful cultural centre
instead of a restless political hub.
And coming here to agree the terms
for a new republic represented a fresh start.
And with this constitution began the most extraordinary period
of artistic experimentation Germany had ever seen.
The experience of the First World War
really changed Germany completely.
Before that it had all been up,
almost a sort of triumphant story.
A provincial, relatively poor country became strong,
became technologically advanced, highly educated,
had the most important artists and scientists.
And Germany was going places,
Germany was going to the top of the world,
which incidentally its neighbours looked at with great suspicion.
And then this brutal caesura of the war,
millions of people killed,
many, many more people traumatised.
And everybody losing this glorious future
they had been going towards.
And coming back to a country that was defeated,
that was poor, that was almost ungovernable
and whose values had almost evaporated overnight.
This shift from an old imperial world
to an urgent democratic one,
as well as the move from agrarian to metropolitan
was not achieved without difficulty.
The city was an uncertain place,
but it was also a major new focus for the artists of the age.
That was certainly the case for cinema,
which had a meteoric rise during the Weimar Republic.
First with silent films and then with talkies,
the art of filmmaking flourished in Germany between the wars.
And it had a diverse and often divided society to draw on.
In the aftermath of World War I,
it was a time of revolutionary turmoil and inflationary chaos,
so people tended to spend what they had and live in the moment,
going in search of new thrills and sensations
of which cinema was a major supplier.
Film was the new technological medium for a new machine age.
It epitomised urban modernity,
the speed and motion of the big city.
It was like a dream factory for a new mass audience,
including a growing class of urban white-collar workers,
many of whom were women.
A shift in stylisation occurred around the mid-20s,
which had partly to do with the growing confidence
of the German film industry.
Following the success of the so-called expressionist films,
they felt they had a strong product.
And they also felt more confident some years on
from Germany's defeat about the more friendly attitude
to Germany in international markets.
So they were able to move away from fantastic, gothic,
exotic, historical type settings
and dare to reflect contemporary German reality.
This shift away from stylisation also coincided
with the rise of a new style in the visual arts,
dubbed New Objectivity,
which focused on the terrible consequences socially
of World War I, with artists like Grosz and Dix
portraying beggars, injured war veterans, prostitutes.
In cinema, New Objectivity was a kind of largely still studio-bound,
socially engaged Realism with a progressive flavour.
All Weimar arts were typified by this kind of dichotomy
between emotional subjectivity and detached objectivity.
Expressionism flourishing even before the First World War,
gave free reign to feeling
and often distorted sensations to nightmarish ends.
It found a particularly expressive subject
in the horror of war.
And for some including artist Käthe Kollwitz,
it continued to provide a source of fascination during the 1920s.
But Neue Sachlichkeit – New Objectivity – was a decisive step
away from this emotional brink.
Presenting people and things with a sense of coolness
rationality and detachment.
It was typified first and foremost
by the art of figures such as Christian Schad and Jeanne Mammen.
But it also found potent archetypes in the work
of a new art school founded in Weimar in 1919,
the same year as the constitution was adopted.
One of the responses to the cultural collapse
that had happened was the Bauhaus, was the idea that
here was this movement that was extremely functional and austere.
The Viennese architect Adolf Loos described ornament as crime,
because he said an ornament is essentially a lie on something.
It's there to pretend that it comes from a time it doesn't come from,
made of materials it's not made of, etc.
It's made to look like something else
and like something grander than itself so let's strip all that away
and get back to the bare function.
And that idea has resonated very strongly with the artists
that came together or architects or craftsmen
who came together in the Bauhaus, and they wanted to design a world
that was sheer, pure and functional,
in which none of the imperial aesthetics of previous ages was still present.
The Bauhaus was formed out of two institutions –
Weimar's Grand-Ducal Saxon Art School
and the city's School of Applied Arts.
The founding director of the Bauhaus,
as it became known, was Walter Gropius.
He wanted to eliminate all classist barriers
between artists and craftsmen,
instead creating a new kind of practical,
but intellectual cultural creative figure.
And his Bauhaus encompassed many great minds and makers,
including painter Wassily Kandinsky,
carpenter Marcel Breuer and architect Mies van der Rohe,
as well as textile artist Anni Albers,
and silversmith Marianne Brant.
Because this wasn't just a school for men,
women were also key to the vision of the Bauhaus,
just as they were to the Republic at large.
After all, German women had been granted the right to vote
and the right to be elected on the 12th of November 1918,
the day after the Armistice.
But who provided the soundtrack for this period of social,
political and cultural change?
It was of course the composers at the heart of the Philharmonia series.
Composers such as Kurt Weill, Paul Hindemith,
Hanns Eisler and Alban Berg.
The spirit of all arts, but especially music,
changed after the First World War.
The sort of post-Romantic, late-Romantic opulence
and grandiosity disappeared.
And composers were more interested in smaller ensembles,
music that would have a social function.
I think it was Hindemith who launched the term Gebrauchsmusik –
"utility music", music to be used.
There was a lot of humor,
life in Berlin and in Germany generally
must have been incredibly hard in the twenties,
with the inflation and all the problems, that people had to resort to humor.
At least you could laugh at things. So for the first time
since I would say Mozart and Rossini,
we are witnessing a kind of funny, truly funny operas and truly funny plays.
So the human expression expanded quite a bit in those years.
Regardless of your vocation as an artist,
the Weimar Republic was enthralling.
But it was also dangerous, with a violently fluctuating economy,
a divided society and mad political lurches
from right to left and back again.
And that made for great challenges as the 1920s hurtled
towards the even more tempestuous decade of the 1930s.
Come with me on this tour around Germany,
and discover what it was like a century ago
as the Weimar Republic gave birth to a thrillingly diverse new culture.
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