Munich, July 10, 1938
Scarcely six years have passed since the National
Socialist Movement, following many years of struggle, was finally entrusted
with the leadership of the Reich. Nonetheless, today we can already state that
rarely in the history of our Volk has there been a comparably eventful period
of peace as in these past five and a half years, an epoch of National Socialist
leadership which was inaugurated on that memorable January 30, 1933. How many
realms of our lives have witnessed radical change since then, a resurgence of
life which had been declared completely impossible just a few years earlier by
those who had felt themselves “called upon.” The Party which had been decried
as a threat to the inner peace in fact bestowed true inner peace upon the
German Volk in the first place.
A
regime that supposedly would precipitate economic collapse pulled the German
Volk back from the brink of economic ruin and saved it. That very National
Socialism, which was assumed to spell a disastrous defeat in matters of foreign
policy, has uplifted the German Volk from the most dreadful defeat in its
entire historical existence, has restored its proud self-confidence and has led
Germany to become a highly-respected force in the world. There is hardly one
realm in which the prophecies of our opponents were not revealed as lies.
During
these months, we have borne witness to the fact that the economic philosophy of
National Socialism, which ten years ago had been decried as pure stupidity and
only five years ago was termed a criminal act or madness at least, that this
philosophy is now gradually being adopted by other states as well- albeit in
omission of copyright charges. [-] The cultural program of this new Reich is of
an unparalleled grandeur in the history of our Volk. Success will come about as
a matter of consequence as it already has in all other realms of our lives.
However, we are fully aware that in this instance the initial time period by
nature will be a longer one than the ones to date.
In
the twentieth century, the German Volk is a Volk of a resurrected affirmation
of life, enchanted in its admiration of the strong and beautiful and hence of
what is healthy and capable of sustaining life. Power and beauty are the
slogans of our time. Clarity and logic reign supreme in our efforts. Whoever
wants to be an artist in this century must wholeheartedly pledge himself to
this century.
There
is no room for any Neanderthal culture in the twentieth century, no room for it
at least in National Socialist Germany. We rejoice that the democracies are
opening their progressive doors to these degenerated elements for, after all,
we are not vindictive. Let them live, we do not mind! For all we care, let them
work-but not in Germany! In 1937, 1 felt the time to have come for a clear
decision in this matter as well. Naturally, this entailed a severe
intervention. Whether or not we can today call geniuses of eternal standing our
own is as always difficult to judge, but in the end it is of little consequence
for our actions. What is of great consequence, however, is the preservation of
an environment in which true genius can be nurtured. To this end, it is
imperative to uphold the solid and decent underpinnings of the common artistic
heritage of a people out of which develops true genius. Genius is not
synonymous with insanity, and above all genius is not synonymous with fraud. To
the contrary, genius manifests itself through extraordinary accomplishments
which are easily differentiated from the common.
This
prejudice threatened to pervade the entire nineteenth century [in the time of
decline]. The decent, or let me say well-intentioned naive average of that
century, has nonetheless furnished that ground from which arose many a great
artist. A century that can claim so many great musicians, great poets and
thinkers, renowned architects, wonderful sculptors and painters, towers way
above the stupid profanities of an epoch of noise-makers in the Dadaist
tradition, formers of plaster in the Cubist mode and colorers of futurist
screens.
Of
course, the nineteenth century also brought forth many an average performance
and even more performances ranking below average. However, that is the mark of
any century of achievement. How many people wander through life and how few of
them are able to run a marathon, and how many actually win the race? Yet these
victors are but the fastest runners of humankind. However, if these men would
hop around crazily instead of walking like ordinary men, then their performance
would equal that of our cultural geniuses of the time of disintegration. They
would be no better than these because they, too, would lack the basis for the
creation and assessment of supreme achievements.
Hence
in the course of the past year, I resolved to clear a passage for the honest
and decent average performance. Already at the exhibition prior to the last, we
warranted the joyful premonition that one or the other artist was well capable
of even greater achievement in the future. Developments since then have proven
this assessment correct. Our suspicions were, moreover, reinforced by the
winter exhibition on German architecture and the products of our arts and
crafts.
These
days I greatly rejoice in having been able to afford the German Volk this
magnificent work of eternal beauty to be placed in the capital of its arts
thanks to the truly magnanimous permission granted by the Italian Government.
May none of you who visit this house fail to go to the sculpture gallery. May
you all then realize how glorious man already was back then in his corporeal
beauty, and that we can speak of progress only if we have attained like
perfection or if we manage to surpass this level.
Above
all, may the artists appreciate how great the sight and the artistic ability of
this Greek named Myron must have been as it reveals itself to our eyes today.
How marvelous an achievement of that Greek who created a statue two and a half
millenniums ago, a statue the Roman copy of which still elicits stunned
admiration on our part. And may all of you take this to heart as a standard for
the tasks and accomplishments of our time. May you all strive for beauty and
perfection so that you shall also stand the test of time both before the Volk
and the ages. [-] I have no doubt that you will be moved by the same sensations
that moved me when I first saw this unparalleled testimony to eternal beauty
and achievement.
You
will perhaps then, too, be able to sense what I feel on this day as I declare
open this second art exhibition in the Reich and as I compare it to what
existed just a few years before we came.
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