Symboliek, monumentaliteit en abstractie. Het beeld van de staat en het beroep van kunstenaar na 1789

Samenvatting

Symbolism, Monumentality and Abstract Art. The Image of the State and the Vocation of the Artist. The humble role attributed to state symbols is a recent phenomenon in prosperous western democracies. After becoming increasingly monumental in the nineteenth century, the state style has become more abstract since 1950. Colossal buildings and statues on wide boulevards and spacious squares were once what made towns easily recognizable as capitals. The figurative decorations served to visualize the political, economic and cultural grandeur of the national state. The national history of the Netherlands was depicted in giantsize paintings, statues of William of Orange, Count of Nassau and the 1813 National Monument. Prosperity, trade and industry were there for all to see at the country's banks and train stations and at Berlage's Stock Exchange. The artistic past manifested itself in statues of Rembrandt and Vondel and at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The most important political monuments were situated in The Hague, the home of the country's rulers and the seat of Parliament. It was not only the iconography, but also the style of the monuments that was to become a bone of contention. The Catholics tended towards a neo-Gothic style and cultivated symbols going back to the Middle Ages, whereas the Conservatives preferred Classicism and examples from Antiquity. In other countries, the battle of the styles did not follow the typically Dutch pattern of pillarization. In England the Gothic style won, in France Classicism, and in Italy there was barely any battle at all. The late unification was celebrated with a spectacular national programme around the monument of Victor Emanuel in Rome, the new capital. Economic symbolism was evident at the banks and ministries, and the cultural themes at the Galleria dell' Arte Moderna. Advancing modernization did not follow the neo-styles, but moved towards the abstract. The frequently controversial role of statesmen, and the harm done to the state idea by the Second World War have made people see state symbols in a less exalted perspective. In the 1960s, after artists proved their worth as national symbols that were not overly controversial, it was art itself that proved to be such a fine state symbol. This changed the artists' professional position depriving them of many of their traditional functions and giving them some new ones.