Welcome to be kitschig blog!
This space is dedicated to guilty pleasures and those little things that make this world a better place. I believe in common sense, the power of kitsch and most of all being nice.
So what is kitsch?
Kitschy aesthetics are a mirror of our time. People like to surround themselves with familiar, popular or nostalgic effects to get that really nice and comfy feeling. Do you like garden gnomes, faux lawn, furry dice, anything hula or flamingo? Are you growing a collection of tea pots or do you spend your free time watching old movies and roaming the second hand shops and markets? Maybe your style is more contemporary and you just love deer, owls, pompoms or anything geek (at the mo, like tots)? Chances are you love kitsch, too.
This blog wants to make sense of the culture around us and there are many resources to discover, compare and drag into the open. For today, let’s be brief and look at a few definitions of kitsch:
Mirriam Webster explains kitsch as
The Oxford Dictionary states further
The Collins Dictionary defines kitsch as
tawdry, vulgarized, or pretentious art, literature, etc, usually with popular or sentimental appeal
Last but not least the Wikipedia Definition reads
Regarding works of art or literature the term has mostly a negative connotation, yet the lines between art and kitsch are blurry.
Yes, kitsch lies in the eyes of the beholder.
Yes, the pain threshold varies greatly but what doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger!
Kitsch is designed to appeal to the masses, so don’t be shy. Get your quirky on and join me!
Be nice! Be green! Be kitschig!
Note: this is from my early writing period; I refer to it as ‘still scared of public writing phase’. This will be rewritten. Some day.
I’m rather surprised that Collins describes kitsch as ‘pretentious’. I would say quite the opposite. I wonder if it’s a typo. I just checked our aged print copy, and it says the same there. Bizarre.
In other news, the Dutch version of the BBC’s ‘Antiques Road Show’ is called ‘Tussen Kunst en Kitsch’ (Between Art and Kitsch) – but as a German-speaker, you won’t need that translation. There’s also a shop I’m sure you’d love called Kitsch Kitchen – http://www.kitschkitchen.nl/en – that the women’s magazines love to feature stuff from. Kitsch is definitely ‘in’ here, but I have to say nobody can do kitsch like the Germans. When I lived in Hamburg I bought far too many kitschy home and garden decorations from flower shops, Tchibo and Budni. Having small children was such a great excuse for indulging my folk art tendencies.
Thank you for your feedback! They are all great shops. I think I used to go to a place called Xenox.I try to avoid dollar stores, too. There is just too much great kitsch out there…