The Art Of The German Democratic Republic:1949-1989

In October 1949,the German Democratic Republic(GDR)was established in the Soviet-occupied area.Its political,economic,and cultural policies followed the Soviet Union’s pace and presented the socialist ideology that was completely different from the Federal Republic of Germany’s.In the field of literature and art,the formal style and content of creation were deeply affected by the Cold War,the penetration of the Soviet model,the post-war economic reconstruction and ever-changing international situation.Therefore,the research on art history of the GDR is bound to be closely related to its political strength and the law of social development.This paper mainly focuses on the historical period from the founding of the GDR in 1949 to the collapse in 1989,trying to explore the development of plastic arts,especially paintings,which have been little-known in these forty years.In terms of the research methods,the paper stands in the perspective of the social history of art,combines some social factors such as the Cold War culture background,domestic politics and economy,German national culture,etc.,and uses a series of images to interpret the living conditions and creation environment of those artists under the strict control of the official cultural censorship system.Ultimately,we conclude that there are still various experimental and avant-garde art forms beyond the seemingly outstanding official style of "Socialist Realism".It is the combined effect of these pluralistic creations that makes the art of the GDR full of intriguing and unique temperament,and become an important part of the academic study of modern and contemporary art history in today’s world.