Negotiations with nostalgia in 1960 Germany’s post-war art

Warning: This dissertation may contain subjects and images that some readers may find distressing, pertaining World War II and Nazism.

Such artists who purposefully created art nostalgic of their childhoods taking place pre- or mid-war, had to very carefully and creatively navigate the creation of paintings based on personal, familial or collective experiences to be able to make works that would read as personal or political rather than ideological. Through their works, these artists negotiated with nostalgia in a similar way to this essay: the past is examined so that it takes into account all the horrors of World War II, while also acknowledging that private individuals have memories of this time period existing outside of the range of negative emotions demanded of them. This negotiation also acknowledges the shame and regret that accompanies such happy or content memories, that don't meet society’s moral standards. To observe the different ways in which such a negotiation successfully took place and in opposition, which problematic works have been created as a result of the refusal of such negotiations, I will examine the canon of works and lives of German post-war artists Gerhard Richter, Georg Baselitz and Anselm Kiefer. A special focus will be placed on works created during the 1960s.