Kitsch
Pronunciation
- UK enPR: kÄch, IPA: /kɪtʃ/
- Rhymes: -ɪtʃ
Origin
From German Kitsch, from dialectal kitschen ("to coat, to smear"), the word and concept were popularized in the 1930's by several critics who opposed it to avant garde art.
Full definition of kitsch
Noun
kitsch
(uncountable)- Art, decorative objects and other forms of representation of questionable artistic or aesthetic value; a representation that is excessively sentimental, overdone, or vulgar.
- 1939, Clement Greenberg, "Avant Garde and Kitsch", The Partisan Review,Because it can be turned out mechanically, kitsch has become an integral part of our productive system in a way in which true culture could never be, except accidentally.Do these definitions add anything to the definition above? Are they independent meanings?
- Product of a creative process where the medium receives more attention than the substance.
- Symbol of identity or social status that is associated with conformity, mediocrity or lack of originality.
Synonyms
Related terms
Adjective
kitsch
- Said especially of art and decor that is considered to be of questionable aesthetic value; excessively sentimental, overdone or vulgar.
- 1989, Graham Greene, Yours etc: Letters to the Press 1945-1989, ISBN 1871061229, p. 243,... a picture of lemur-eyed children of the sort one sees in the kitscher sort of Italian restaurant ...
- 1996, Robert Silberman, "The stuff of art: Judy Onofrio", American Craft, Jun/Jul 1996, pp. 40-45,Abe Lincoln, Paul Bunyan and kitsch souvenir coconut heads come across as icons of masculinity.
- 2005, Ronald Frame, "Critical Paranoia", Michigan Quarterly Review, Spring 2005, p. 285,I recognized her at once even though she wasn't wearing the tweed hunting outfit and the kitsch headwear.
Usage notes
Although the forms kitscher and kitschest are attested, those formed on kitschy are more common, particularly for the comparative.