Overview

Kitsch is a German word meaning “trash” or “rubbish” that is used to categorize art or design that is considered to be inferior, tasteless, or a copy of an existing style. It is often associated with mass production, sentimentality, and a lack of originality. While traditionally used as a pejorative term by art critics to distinguish “high art” from popular culture, kitsch has also been embraced by some movements (like Pop Art) and is sometimes enjoyed for its very excess or nostalgia.

Core Idea

The core idea of kitsch is the imitation of the effect of art without the genuine artistic effort or depth. It prioritizes immediate emotional gratification—often through exaggerated cuteness, melodrama, or patriotism—over intellectual engagement or aesthetic innovation. Kitsch is designed to be easily consumable and universally understood, often relying on clichés and stereotypes.

Formal Definition

In aesthetic theory, particularly in the work of Clement Greenberg, kitsch is defined as the product of the industrial revolution and urbanization, a “rear-guard” that mimics the forms of high culture but depletes them of their content. It is characterized by mechanical reproduction, formulaic structures, and a reliance on established conventions rather than avant-garde experimentation.

Intuition

Imagine a porcelain figurine of a shepherdess with exaggeratedly large, watery eyes, or a painting of a sunset that looks exactly like thousands of other paintings of sunsets. These objects do not challenge the viewer or offer a new perspective; instead, they offer a comfortable, pre-packaged emotion. This is the essence of kitsch: it tells you exactly how to feel (usually “aww” or “wow”) without asking you to think.

Examples

  • Garden Gnomes: Mass-produced lawn ornaments that evoke a whimsical, fairy-tale nostalgia but are often viewed as tacky.
  • Souvenir Art: Snow globes, keychains, and T-shirts featuring famous landmarks, often reduced to simple icons.
  • Thomas Kinkade Paintings: Known as the “Painter of Light,” his works feature idyllic cottages and landscapes that are criticized for being overly sentimental and formulaic.
  • Soap Operas: Television dramas that rely on melodramatic plot twists and exaggerated emotions, often considered a form of narrative kitsch.

Common Misconceptions

  • Kitsch is just “bad art”: While often used as an insult, kitsch is a specific type of bad art characterized by sentimentality and imitation. Not all bad art is kitsch (e.g., a poorly executed conceptual piece is not necessarily kitsch).
  • You can’t like kitsch: Many people enjoy kitsch, either genuinely (for the comfort it provides) or ironically (as “camp”). Enjoying kitsch does not necessarily mean one lacks “good” taste.
  • Camp: While kitsch is usually earnest in its bad taste, camp is the deliberate and ironic appreciation of the artificial, exaggerated, or bad. Camp embraces kitsch with a wink.
  • Highbrow/Lowbrow: The cultural hierarchy that places “high art” (museums, opera) above “low art” (comics, pop music). Kitsch is firmly placed in the lowbrow or “middlebrow” category.
  • Mass Culture: Culture that is widely disseminated via mass media. Kitsch is a product and staple of mass culture.

Applications

  • Marketing and Advertising: Advertisers often use kitsch imagery (cute animals, idealized families) to evoke positive emotions and sell products.
  • Political Propaganda: Totalitarian regimes (like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union) often utilized kitsch art (heroic workers, idyllic families) to promote an idealized vision of the state and manipulate public sentiment.
  • Interior Design: The “shabby chic” or “retro” styles often incorporate kitsch elements (vintage signs, knick-knacks) to create a cozy or nostalgic atmosphere.

Criticism / Limitations

  • Elitism: The critique of kitsch is often accused of being elitist, enforcing a hierarchy where the tastes of the educated upper class are deemed superior to the tastes of the working class.
  • Subjectivity: What is considered kitsch changes over time. Art Nouveau lamps, once mass-produced and considered kitsch, are now often viewed as valuable antiques and high art.
  • Cultural Imperialism: The concept of kitsch is Western-centric and may not apply to aesthetic standards in other cultures where repetition and tradition are valued differently.

Further Reading

  • Greenberg, Clement. “Avant-Garde and Kitsch.” Partisan Review, 1939.
  • Kundera, Milan. The Unbearable Lightness of Being. (Discusses political kitsch).
  • Kulka, Tomas. Kitsch and Art. Pennsylvania State University Press, 1996.