Kitsch has triggered many impassioned debates
Kitsch is part of everyday culture. Whether and when an object is considered kitsch is defined by its cultural origin, social context and is largely a matter of personal taste. Some regard Bavarian Baroque churches or brightly painted Mexican altars as kitsch, whereas these structures are obviously regarded very differently by those who consider them essential to the perpetuation of their belief systems.
The perception of something as kitsch depends on context, individual culture, education, and the zeitgeist. An object that was once considered kitsch could become a highly desirable cult or art object years later because of its rarity. Conversely, pieces of art or design can become banal kitsch once derarified by the processes of mass production and sales.
Kitsch has triggered many impassioned debates in the realm of aesthetics. Even the origin of the word is a subject of debate. It first appeared on the Munich art scene around the end of the nineteenth century. Some believe it is derived from the German word kitschen (which means to sweep up dirt from the street), while others believe it is derived from the English word “sketch” (a then-common request by American and English tourists at German art markets).
As puzzling as the origin of the term may be, its meaning was very clear by the twentieth century. Kitsch was bad taste; art was good taste. In other words: kitsch represented the social divide between the educated upper classes and the “kitschy” lower classes. Today, the superficial distinctions between art and kitsch have blurred, in large part due to the influence of artists like Jeff Koons or Pierre et Gilles during the 1980s. Once criticism of kitsch itself became conventional, it could then be used as a means of challenging and questioning convention. The strategy of contextualization or even decontextualization is used to turn kitsch into art.
There are many examples of kitsch today: the architecture of Las Vegas, where casinos do not simply mimic but exaggerate the vibrant, shrill qualities of famous cities; television country-music shows featuring lip-synching stars who reconstruct the nostalgia of down home and small town; the countless romantic novels and gossip magazines; souvenirs sold at museums, famous churches, or places of pilgrimage; crystal and Hummel figurines; garden gnomes; Japanese waving cats, and so on and so forth.
In a globalized world, kitsch can also represent regional origin, hometown, and roots: the interior of an Italian restaurant located in the United States, Germany, or Japan will often be decorated with paintings of the Madonna, romantic harbor photos, and miniature gondolas with the intention of making the restaurant supposedly look more Italian than Italy. Excessive decorations often set the tone in private homes as well faux-painting techniques on the wall, accessories and knickknacks collected from foreign countries on display. Kitsch is fascinating regardless of one’s personal taste for Jeff Koons, for instance, kitsch represents “banality as savior” in a society defined by rationality and achievement.