Approach to an Iconographic Analysis: Berlin, Symphony of a Great City and Pictorial Post-Expressionism

Abstract

We present a first approach to iconographic analysi s of the film Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927) and its relationship with the so-called pict orial Post-expressionism. Walter Ruttmann's film contains many scenes that capture t he streets of Berlin. But the director's intention is not only making an epithet of the city , but show Berlin as a European metropolis. In this sense, Berlin is a symbol of the great cities of the interwar period, although the big city has many advantages and disadvantages. Berlin: Symphony of a Great City does not display historical monuments, except at the beginni ng of the film when the director shows the cathedral. This attitude was also shared by the post-expressionist artists. These artists were so named by Franz Roh, important art critic, b ut they were also called “New Objectivity” by Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub, the director of the Kunsthalle in Mannheim. The Postexpressionist artists sought in its theme the depic tion of the world objectively, although this objective world was transformed in the works by the artist's subjectivity. Post-expressionist artists represent ordinary life of his time with th e feverish pace of life of this time. Hartlaub used the adjective Verists to define these thematic characteristics of the wo rk of Otto Dix and G. Grosz. The embodiment of everyday life with all its fast pace and a tone of satire is intended to demystify the image of progress that Eu ropean society was at that time. World War I led to a crisis of values that resulted in a period of artistic criticism. European society of this time was a recurring theme for Post-express ionist artists. These artists included in his works what they observed in German society in crisi s, but also reflected the daily life, industrialization and taylorist methods of work that ended proletarizing broad sectors of the population. All these issues can be seen in Berlin: Symphony of a Great City. This movie is a clear example of City Symphony , set of films made between 1921-1931. The viewer c an establish a clear correspondence between the film ima ge Ruttmann's work and the pictorial image of Postexpressionist artists when they show t he contemporary metropolis.