You may have never come across this Germanism in the English language (I know I haven’t), but apparently it is one. Don’t be daunted by the length of the term nor by four consonants in a row. Gesamtkunstwerk is simply a composite of the three words “gesamt” (pronounce: ga’zumpt, meaning overall, cumulative), “Kunst” (pronounce: koonst, meaning art), and “werk (pronounce: vark, meaning work). A Kunstwerk is an artwork, a Gesamtkunstwerk is a cumulative artwork. Now, that wasn’t too difficult, right? If ever you come across a word like Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänsanzugsknopfloch you shouldn’t feel daunted either – just parse the worm into sections. Easy-peasy. Germans do it all the time …
But back to the simple compound of Gesamtkunstwerk aka cumulative artwork. What it means is that one artwork is composed as of many different artforms as possible and that minus one of the artforms the entire artwork would lack.
The definition in itself sounds comprehensible and logical. But trying to fill it with life as in examples is a challenge. For example, is a picture gallery a Gesamtkunstwerk? My thought is “no” because even though the architecture might be great as a whole, minus the pictures it would still be great. And the paintings would still be complete in themselves. On the other hand, there are buildings that count as Gesamtkunstwerk such as Gaudi’s cathedral La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, a church created of all kinds of artforms, integrating shapes of nature and even calculating in the height of the surrounding mountains. Now, fill this with a mass or a concert, and the building’s acoustics will create another level of Gesamtkunstwerk.
There are artists whom I would describe as Gesamtkunstwerk. One of my most favorite ones is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. Never heard of her? She is famous as a songwriter, a singer, an instrumentalist, a dancer, an actress, a fashion icon, a creator of events around her person (I’m not even talking about her as a philanthropist and activist, as well as the producer of a vegan cosmetic line – you don’t perceive that on stage, necessarily). Oh, you HAVE heard of her, I’m sure! She even invented a name for herself: Lady Gaga.
Another one is a concept that I fell in love with at first sight back in Germany. It’s a place in a forest near my native town, Stuttgart, Germany, that features performances on a stage that combines a natural backdrop with whatever set is needed. Its reputation is that of an incredibly versatile amateur theater, the Theater unter den Kuppeln (pronounce: tay-‘uh-tah ‘oontah dayn ‘Koo-peln, meaning theater below the cupolas). Check out this link for a taste:
Conceptual art events are often Gesamtkunstwerke (mind the pronounced plural “e”!) trying to speak to as many senses as possible while making sense as a unit. One of the most unusual ones is probably fan-created, and I never even experienced it myself. But I heard of movie theater audiences bringing all kinds of items to the viewing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, such as water, newspapers, toilet paper, and popcorn, and using them in perfect synchronism with the actors on screen. Or quoting lines. The closest I came to seeing it for myself is this scene from the movie “Fame”:
Gesamtkunstwerk – it’s an inspirational concept that draws in the beholder, and we may not even realize that it is one until we contemplate it. Because it is so much of a unit that we don’t even think of its components as of separate elements.
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