The Misunderstood World of Kitsch

Image Alex Drake VintageLast week I was fortunate enough to be a part of the IFB Links à La Mode Weekly Round-up, where one of the bloggers, the lovely Kimmie of KPfusion, pondered about whether or not fashion is subjective. My personal answer was: "everything in life is subjective".Today Ive been attempting to rationalise the anarchy of my desk. Unsuccessfully. But during the attempt I came across some old photos of my previous furniture shop in the UK. At first glance the photos scream "Kitsch!". I gave them a second look, however, and an inner voice protested: "Its not kitsch, its colourful and cool!".Image Alex Drake Vintage, Shop stock 2006As a vintage goods trader, Ive never really put my foot down and educated clients who would make a point of saying "Hey your things are Kitsch". Its not my style – I dont usually like to impose. And the absolute pared-down truth is, if I make a sale, especially to the person insisting on it, then Id be a fool to challenge them. Im in business. Im not a crowd of demonstrators trying to put the world to rights.❤ What exactly is Kitsch? Im guessing youve heard and read the word kitsch at some point. In my case, I often hear it. Worse, people have pointed at my stuff and openly verbalised the word, with a palpable mockery in their tone. Often, I have the last laugh when they buy the item in question. On Wikipedia, kitsch is dissected and analysed by artists, academics and theorists. For all its worth my understanding is that its just a word made up by the upper classes in late 1800s, to taunt the newly moneyed bourgeois and label the latters taste as crass, cheap, worthless imitation of high art. It was deemed as a threat to culture and was evil. It was also a willful forgetting that the old money of 1800s Western Europe was the new money of 100 years before.Ducks via carters.com.au; clock & Tretchikoff Alex Drake Vintage; tv boat lamp CDianneZweig❤ Avante-Garde vs. KitschAmerican essayist and art critic Clement Greenberg is known for his 1939 essay Avante-Garde and Kitsch. Wikipedia states that he believed "Avante-Garde was the product of Enlightenments revolution of critical thinking...while Kitsch on the other hand was the product of industrialization and urbanization of the working class...a populace hungry for culture, but without the education to enjoy cutting edge avant-garde culture". Exactly a week ago, the American artist Cy Twombly - cited by the BBC as the original graffiti artist - died in Rome, his home since the late 50s. I couldnt help but notice the echoes of the great divide between High Art and Kitsch and Cy Twombly vs. Banksy (I like all four by the way). For your reading pleasure, check out the controversial article from the Guardian cited at the end of this post.Image via Cy Twombly Info❤ Revenge of the KitschIn the 1950s, Kitsch wasnt just in paintings anymore. It established itself, more than ever, by occupying homes in the form of ceramic flying ducks, Vladimir Tretchikoffs green lady prints, starburst clocks, etc. Although Tretchikoffs work has always been blackballed by art critics - something that caused him huge distress - a month ago he had his first major retrospective (four years after his death in Capetown, South Africa). In 2008, one of his paintings sold for a record $559,000. And yes, his artworks are now on coasters, fabrics and wallpaper, gracing self-consciously chic homes all over the world.Image via Retro-Luxe Blog❤ What it means to meIf I were to ask you right now "What is art?", we could well start a discussion that rages for decades. As with everything else, it all comes down to personal preferences. For me, Kitsch is art - a product of creative energy and intention, whatever one thinks of the end-product. I cant draw or paint but I react to visually stimulating images. Art is art. No amount of scholastic interpretation can or will persuade me to like something which I dont understand, which doesnt trigger my pupils to dilate in awe. I believe artists and designers today are very fortunate, as we live in a highly tolerant, bohemian world. Where art and style are concerned nowadays, its anything goes. I believe that therein lies the secret to contentment, satisfaction, and maybe even self-actualization. Life is relatively short – if Kitsch is your thing, enjoy it. I do.Image via fashioneditorials.comHappy Tuesday everyone!How about you? Does the word Kitsch offend you? Do you believe that Kitsch has killed high art? Do you own a Kitsch item? Looking forward to hearing from you. ❤❤❤Sources:Wikipediawww.csmt.uchicago.eduwww.guardian.co.uk - Cy Twombly is the thinking persons Banksy www.bbc.co.uk❤❤❤