Abstract Fields (2007-2008, Acrylic on Canvas)
Light and Shade… objects and places
What is Kitsch?
In the sense we mean here, kitsch is pseudo-art. What do we mean by this? See our About/FAQ page. Here is a bit more:
According to the Oxford English Dictionary it is:
Art or objets d’art characterized by worthless pretentiousness; the qualities associated with such art or artifacts. Also attrib., Comb., and transf.
So kitsch v. trans. (rare), to render worthless, to affect with sentimentality and vulgarity; kitschy a., possessing the characteristics of kitsch.
But kitsch is more than this. Want to know more?
The Wikipedia article on kitsch is actually a good start.
But an even better place is the chapter on kitsch in:
Calinescu, Matei, Five Faces of Modernity: Modernism, Avant-garde, Decadence, Kitsch, Postmodernism. Duke University Press, 1987. (Buy on Amazon, or check Worldcat for holdings in your local library)
Calinescu does a great job of presenting kitsch historically in terms of modernity and is especially attuned to kitsch as pseudo-art, which is the important sense for us here.
