kitsch

Kitsch ( KITCH; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as naïve imitation, overly eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste. The modern avant-garde traditionally opposed kitsch for its melodramatic tendencies, its superficial relationship with the human condition and its vulgar standards of beauty. In the first half of the 20th century, kitsch was used in reference to mass-produced, pop-cultural products that lacked the conceptual depth of fine art. However, since the emergence of Pop Art in the 1950s, kitsch has taken on newfound highbrow appeal, often wielded in knowingly ironic, humorous or earnest manners. To brand visual art as "kitsch" is often still pejorative, though not exclusively. Art deemed kitsch may be enjoyed in an entirely positive, sincere manner. For example, it carries the ability to be quaint or "quirky" without appearing offensive, as in the Dogs Playing Poker paintings. Along with visual art, the quality of kitsch can be used to describe works of music, literature, or any other creative medium. Kitsch relates to camp, as they both incorporate irony and extravagance.¶

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Kitsch”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence.¶

kitsch is art or other objects that appeal to popular rather than high art tastes, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition.¹¶

The source record links this tradition to 39 external registers, which can be verified through the citation.¹¶