Abstract
The birthplace of Dadaism in Switzerland is often simply translated into Chinese as “Voltaire Pub”. As an art salon, it actually finds its prototype in artists' pubs in Germany. The word “Cabaret” translated as “pub”, is also the general term for the entertaining variety shows therein,which originated in France. After its introduction into the German-speaking area, Cabaret became Kabarett and its cultural connotations and ways of presentations underwent great changes due to its collision with the avant-garde movement. Therefore, the simplified understanding of Cabaret as a pub downplays the significance of the Cabaret Voltaire in the history of modern art. More importantly, the Kabarett is often a complex of multi-field art, a relatively mature prototype of Gesamtkunstwerk(the total artwork), which has profoundly influenced the aesthetic views and creative practices of the Western avant-garde artists as well as those in contemporary art. In short, departing from an analysis of the Chinese translation of Cabaret Voltaire,this article then traces the genealogy of Gesamtkunstwerk based on the artistic theories of Richard Wagner,Wassily Kandinsky and Joseph Beuys to eventually clarify how the conceptualization of Gesamtkunstwerk becomes an important background for modern art.
Keywords
Cabaret Voltaire, Kabarett, Avant-garde, Gesamtkunstwerk
First Page
208
Last Page
218
Recommended Citation
Chen, Duozhi. 2021. "Cabaret Voltaire or Kabarett Voltaire? Three Breakthroughs of the Concept Gesamtkunstwerk." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 41, (1): pp.208-218. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol41/iss1/19
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