The Weimar Years: A Culture Cut Short

by John Willett

A visual history of this intriguing artistic period, featuring work by Dix, Grosz, Heartfield, Brecht, and more. During the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) a distinctive culture evolved from the roots of the Modern Movement. It was a unique effort to bring into common use technical and artistic discoveries of the great prewar pioneers from the Cubists to Le Corbusier, and it brought together some of the most original and significant artists, writers, musicians, architects, photographers, designers, and filmmakers.

The pictures assembled here show how this artistic culture originated in the aftermath of the First World War and the unsettled early years of the Weimar Republic, uneasily balanced between revolutionary pretensions and the desire for order. The montage of images―photographs, paintings, drawings, collages, books, and film stills―evokes the period with shocking vividness. 311 black-and-white illustrations

Genres: History, Art, Germany

Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt like I was reading an "Only Weimar Kids will Remember" scrapbook, which was awesome, but also a bit frustrating.

[Lenita · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's ok. A bit of a confusing read.

[Michael Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is tough for me as a graphic designer and typographer to read an art book as poorly designed and typeset as this book was. I understand the decision to set the book entirely in sans serif type fonts as a nod to the Bauhaus/Weimar aesthetic, however the weight and columnar set up of the paragraphs is incredibly difficult to read. The historic photos are for the most part terribly reproduced. They are put behind patterned mezzotint textures that destroy the photo. Paintings that sadly have to be reproduced in black and white are murky and dreary. The text is informative, but contains many little digs by the author (twice he insults the talented photographer August Sander).

I bought the book to add to my personal art book library. It is going to be donated to a local charity. I never need to look through it again... a very disappointing book about a lively and vital period in art, architecture, design and performance art. Pass on it.

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A culture cut short

The Weimar Years are explored mostly through pictures. We get to see what German artists can do when set free.

I usually see this era through UFA. However, there are other arts, artists, and even politics of the time captured here to reflect on. On the other hand, maybe just a little nostalgia for the world we missed. Some of the films are Fitz Lang’s “M”, Marlene Dietrich’s “The Blue Angel”, and “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.”

Contents:
Introduction
Upsurge and aftermath 1918 -- 20
The turning point in 1921 -- 3
Sober reality 1924 -- 8
The culture of cities
Economy and backlash 1929 -- 33
Selective index of names, illustrations, and credits

This is not an end-all-be-all book of the more Republic but makes a good supplement to your library and occasionally you'll want to look back at the advertisements.