degenerate

degenerate
   Being in decline; having fallen to an inferior or undesirable state, especially in mental or moral qualities. Also, a depraved, corrupt, or vicious person. Because modernism was so counter to the fascist aesthetic, Adolf Hitler (German, 1889-1945) branded modernist art entartete — degenerate or degenerative. The fascists favored a strongly classical style in contrast to the prevailing artworld styles of Cubism, Surrealism, Expressionism, Dadaism, and modernism in general. Rather than censor modernist art, the Nazis confiscated it. In 1937 they removed more than 20,000 such works from the collections of German individuals and museums — works by more than 200 artists, including Otto Dix, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Oskar Kokoschka, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Käthe Kollwitz, Emil Nolde, Max Pechstein, Pablo Picasso, and Kurt Schwitters. With 650 such works, they mounted an exhibition titled Degenerate Art ("Entartete 'Kunst'"). The exhibit opened in Munich and traveled to eleven other cities in Germany and Austria. In each installation, the works were poorly hung and surrounded by graffiti and hand written labels mocking the artists and their creations. Over three million visitors attended making it the first "blockbuster" exhibition. The Nazis expected Germans to recognize these works as presenting "negativity and the incomprehensibility of the world," which pitted modernist aesthetics against what fascists characterized as their own positivism, progressive goals, and noble ideals — an ostensibly hopeful Weltanschauung (world-view) that led to their ruthlessly forcing their "solutions" on the world. (pr. adjective: d?-JE-nr-?t, verb: d?-JE-nr-AYT)

Glossary of Art Terms. 2014.

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  • Degenerate — De*gen er*ate, a. [L. degeneratus, p. p. of degenerare to degenerate, cause to degenerate, fr. degener base, degenerate, that departs from its race or kind; de + genus race, kind. See {Kin} relationship.] Having become worse than one s kind, or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Degenerate — Degenerate …   Википедия

  • degenerate — [dē jen′ər it, dijen′ər it; ] for v. [, dē jen′ərāt΄, di jen′ərāt΄] adj. [L degeneratus, pp. of degenerare, to become unlike one s race, degenerate < degener, not genuine, base < de , from + genus, race: see GENUS] 1. having sunk below a… …   English World dictionary

  • degenerate — [adj] corrupt, deteriorated base, debased, debauched, decadent, decayed, degenerated, degraded, demeaned, depraved, dissolute, effete, failing, fallen, flatitious, immoral, infamous, low, mean, miscreant, nefarious, overripe, perverted,… …   New thesaurus

  • degenerate — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ having lost normal and desirable qualities; showing evidence of moral or physical decline. ► NOUN ▪ a morally degenerate person. ► VERB ▪ deteriorate physically or morally. DERIVATIVES degeneracy noun degenerately adverb …   English terms dictionary

  • Degenerate — De*gen er*ate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Degenerated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Degenerating}.] 1. To be or grow worse than one s kind, or than one was originally; hence, to be inferior; to grow poorer, meaner, or more vicious; to decline in good qualities;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • degenerate — de*gen er*ate, n. 1. a person who has declined from a high standard, especially a sexual deviate; usually used disparagingly or opprobriously of persons whose sexual behavior does not conform to the norms of accepted morals. [PJC] 2. a person or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • degenerate — I noun corrupt person, debased person, debauchee, decadent person, degraded person, depraved person, derelict, disreputable person, immoral person, pervert, rapscallion, recreant, scamp, scapegrace, transgressor, wastrel, worthless person II verb …   Law dictionary

  • degenerate — adj corrupt, infamous, *vicious, villainous, iniquitous, nefarious, flagitious Analogous words: degraded, demeaned (see ABASE): debased, depraved, debauched, perverted (see under DEBASE): dissolute, *abandoned, reprobate, profligate …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • degenerate — I. adjective Etymology: Middle English degenerat, from Latin degeneratus, past participle of degenerare to degenerate, from de + gener , genus race, kind more at kin Date: 15th century 1. a. having declined or become less specialized (as in… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • degenerate — degenerates, degenerating, degenerated (The verb is pronounced [[t]dɪʤe̱nəreɪt[/t]]. The adjective and noun are pronounced [[t]dɪʤe̱nərət[/t]].) 1) VERB If you say that someone or something degenerates, you mean that they become worse in some way …   English dictionary

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