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James A. Rawley Graduate Conference in the
Humanities
History, Department of
4-8-2006
Ugly and Monstrous: Marxist Aesthetics
Chris Rasmussen
University of NebraskaLincoln, crasmus3@bigred.unl.edu
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1
Ugly and Monstrous:
Marxist Acsthctics
Chris Rasmusscn
University of NebraskaLincoln
Abstract
An analysis ol Marxist conccptions ol thc good and thc bcautilul and thcir
rclationship to alicnation, Ugly and Monstrous argucs that Marxism was ulti
matcly a sct ol acsthctic bclicls, onc that paradoxically callcd lor thc tcmporary
ccssation ol all attcmpts to crcatc bcautilul artwork. Marx undcrstood bcauty as
Kant had that it is thc rcsult ol thc harmonization ol thc lacultics that occurs
whcn a disintcrcstcd obscrvcr cncountcrs a work ol art. Capitalism givcs to all
works (art includcd) monctary valuc, and all obscrvcrs bccomc intcrcstcd con
sumcrs, dcbasing art apprcciation and killing thc human dcsirc (and nccd) to
cxpcricncc thc bcautilul.
Tc work ol latcr Marxists, particularly Valtcr 8cnjamin and Hcrbcrt Mar
cusc, takc thc Marxist position to its logical conclusion, that any art in thc agc
ol capitalist cxploitation and workcr alicnation must, by its naturc, bc political.
Tc bcst way to judgc art, according to thcsc twcnticth ccntury Marxist acsthc
ticians, is to mcasurc thc lcvcl ol alicnation thc work contains. Tc morc alicn
atcd thc artist and thc work arc , thc morc corrcct thc political statcmcnt is. Tc
work, which can ncvcr bc plcasant and must always and cvcr agitatc, is thus
judgcd good. !t cannot, howcvcr, bc bcautilul bccausc thc work rctains utility
it cncouragcs political action on thc bchall ol thc community and thc individu
al and is not a wholc in and ol itscll. 8cautilul art, cannot cxist until a commu
nism has bccn cstablishcd. Tus Marxist (and ncoMarxist) acsthctics mandatc
thc impovcrishmcnt ol thc scnscs and thc dcath ol bcauty.

Cnvis R~s:ussvx 2 Uciv ~xb Moxs:vous: M~vxis: Avs:nv:ics 3

Everything ugly and monstrous despises art.
Karl Marx, lrom a marginal notc in
Johann Jakob Grund, Die Malerei der Griechen
From thc Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 to thc unnishcd
third volumc ol Capital, Karl Marx consistcntly articulatcd a vision
ol a posthistorical utopia in which spontancous crcativc cxprcssion
rcplaccd alicnatcd labor. Tc acsthctic scnsc was thc uniquc human
quality, according to Marx, that scparatcd man lrom thc bcasts. Tc
damning lault ol thc prcscnt capitalist ordcr was not that it pro
duccd scarcity or was inc cicnt, but that it dchumanizcd human
socicty by climinatcd thc acsthctic cxpcricncc. Capitalism clcvatcd
an animalistic scllintcrcst ovcr all othcr valucs, making thc disin
tcrcstcd apprcciation ol bcauty impossiblc. Tc dcstruction ol bcau
ty, not social justicc or issucs ol cquality, outragcd Marx. For Marx
and his most consistcnt lollowcrs, most ol thc socallcd art pro
duccd undcr capitalism did not harmonizc thc lacultics, but instcad
ancsthctizcd thc pcoplc to thcir own sucring. Rcal artists, thcrc
lorc, should not strivc lor a lalsc bcauty, but work diligcntly to dis
harmonizc thc lacultics and awakcn thc pcoplc to thcir acutc pain.
Altcr thc social rcvolution and thc putting ol scllintcrcst in its
propcr, subordinatc placc, could artists rcturn to crcating and apprc
ciating bcauty. !t is a curious contradiction that an csotcric cxpcri
cncc, not physical rcality, stands at thc ccntcr ol thc systcm champi
oning historical matcrialism.
Marx did not acquirc an acsthctic sct ol convictions as hc dcvcl
opcd his philosophical systcm, rathcr thc systcm dcvclopcd around
his corc contcntions conccrning thc naturc ol art. Tc loundcr ol sci
cntic socialism wrotc poctry as a philosophy studcnt at 8onn and
staycd abrcast ol uropcan litcraturc all his lilc, and cxprcsscd so
phisticatcd insights on a rangc ol acsthctic mattcrs his wholc adult
lilc. Marx dcvotcd morc timc and cncrgy studying acsthctics than
was ncccssary lor a philosophy studcnt. At two points in his lilc,
Marx attcmptcd to writc spccically on acsthctics, but both timcs
bccamc distractcd lcaving a systcmatic analysis ol his idcas uncx
plorcd.
1
Such an cxploration would havc madc analyzing Marxian
acsthctics casicr, but would havc bccn almost unncccssary, as Marxs
thcorics on thc division and alicnation ol labor arc simultancously
thcorics on acsthctics.
Many scholars makc thc mistakc ol labcling Marxism an cco
nomically dctcrministic thcory ol history. A closcr rcading, howcvcr,
rcvcals thc inhcrcnt acsthctic valuc Marx lound in labor. !n thc third
volumc ol Capital, Marx cnvisioncd thc communist lactory as an in
dustrial symphony, with cach workcr willingly subordinating himscll
to thc will ol thc dircctor to cngagc in acsthctic crcation.
2
!n his
prcalicnatcd past, man had crcatcd his world in a similar lashion
through his spontancous labor, lling his lilc with plcasurc and sat
islaction. Trough thc mastcry ol his vc scnscs, man wrcstcd mcan
ing out ol thc natural world and cnnoblcd it in his work. Labors
acsthctic dimcnsion was cvcrprcscnt in human prchistory. All an
imals, including man, wcrc scllintcrcstcd, but man was uniquc in
that hc could cxpcricncc disintcrcstcd plcasurc, and thus contcm
platc and crcatc bcauty. Mans labor was acsthctic and thus supcrior
to thc mcrcly instinctivc labor ol bccs, bcavcrs, or any othcr animal.
Tc disintcrcstcd contcmplation ol bcauty, so lundamcntal to human
naturc, had bccn dcbascd and pcrvcrtcd undcr capitalism, in which
all valucs wcrc subjugatcd to scllintcrcst. 8cauty disappcarcd lrom
thc human landscapc as capitalism advanccd.
3
Capitalism was not a systcm that could bc rclormcd or changcd,
and Marx argucd that thc aggrandizing logic ol capitalism causcd
uropc to burst lrom its bordcrs and colonizc thc cntirc world, put
ting all pcoplcs in an cvcrtightcning grip. All labor cvcrywhcrc with
no cxccption was pcrvcrtcd and cvcry man rcduccd to a bcast. Marx
cxplains in Capital:
Vithin thc capitalist systcm all mcthods lor raising thc so
cial productivcncss ol labor arc brought about at thc cost
ol thc individual laborcr, all mcans lor thc dcvclopmcnt ol
production translorm thcmsclvcs into mcans ol domination
ovcr, and cxploitation ol, thc produccrs, thcy mutilatc labor
cr into a lragmcnt ol a man, dcgradc him to thc lcvcl ol an
Cnvis R~s:ussvx 4 Uciv ~xb Moxs:vous: M~vxis: Avs:nv:ics 5
appcndagc ol a machinc, dcstroy cvcry rcmnant ol charm
in his work, and turn it into a hatcd toil, thc cstrangc lrom
him thc intcllcctual potcntialitics ol thc labor proccss in thc
samc proportion as scicncc is incorporatcd in it as an in
dcpcndcnt powcr, thcy distort thc conditions undcr which
hc works, subjcct him during thc laborproccss to a dcspo
tism thc morc hatclul lor its mcanncss, thcy translorm his
lilctimc into workingtimc, and drag his wilc and child bc
ncath thc whccls ol thc Juggcrnaut ol capital.
4

!l onc acccpts Marxs analysis, thcn thcrc can bc no compromisc
and rcality must bc ncgatcd. Tc agonistic clcmcnt drivcs thc sys
tcm toward conlrontation bctwccn thc cxploitcr and thc cxploitcd.
!n Marxism, thcrc is no third way, and artists bccamc combatants
likc cvcryonc clsc.
Artists arc workcrs and workcrs artists and thc alicnation ol thc
workcr lrom his labor must bc cquatcd with thc alicnation ol that
artist lrom his. According to thc Marx, labor in thc capitalist ordcr
bccamc cxtcrnal to thc workcr, an activity hc pcrlormcd away lrom
his homc and in which thc corc ol his bcing did not participatc. His
labor was lorccd, that is, thc workcr workcd not bccausc hc rcccivcd
satislaction lrom his labor, but to satisly thc nccds ol his body, lrom
which hc bccamc alicnatcd as wcll. Tc workcr thus avoidcd all labor,
sccing it as outsidc himscll, somcthing alicn and hostilc. Labor, and
by cxtcnsion art, in capitalism was not a spontancous activity or an
cxprcssion ol lilc, instcad it was somcthing that bclongcd to somc
onc clsc, work lcd to a loss ol scll, and mortication.
5
All activ
itics and rclationships in such an inhuman systcm bccamc taintcd,
vulgar and, most importantly, ugly.
Vhilc alicnatcd labor crctinizcd workcrs and artists, lcaving
thcm with a dullcd or noncxistcnt capacity lor crcating or cxpcri
cncing plcasurc, capitalists wcrc similarly rcndcrcd incapablc ol
idcntilying bcauty. !n thcir casc, acquisitivc lcclings dcstroycd disin
tcrcst and acsthctic plcasurc, making automatons out ol invcstmcnt
bankcrs, and industrialists, and art mcrchants |thc capitalists|
plcasurc is only a sidc issuc rccupcration somcthing subordinat
cd to production: at thc samc timc it is a calculated and thcrclorc
an economical plcasurc.
6
Marxs contcntion that thc ninctccnth ccn
tury was proloundly unacsthctic cvcn antiacsthctic is obvious, but
only slightly lcss so is thc conncction to Kant and thc notion ol thc
disintcrcstcd subjcct.
Kant argucd that in ordcr to apprcciatc bcauty, thc subjcct must
approach thc work with a spirit ol disintcrcstcdncss.
7
Marx was in
lock stcp with Gcrman philosophical idcas on thc naturc ol thc acs
thctic cxpcricncc in art. Hc acccptcd Kant, but in thc world as hc dc
scribcd it, purc judgmcnt could not cxist. A capitalist computing val
uc lookcd at art as a mcans to incrcasc his advantagc, and thus cannot
cxpcricncc bcauty, whilc an alicnatcd artist could only prctcnd to har
monizc thc lacultics. !ndccd, Marx cxpands on this idca and main
tains that thc rulc ol industry is thc rulc ol asccticism, lcading to lur
thcr dcprivation ol thc human spirit. Tc lcss you cat, drink, and rcad
books, thc lcss you go thc thcatrc, thc dancc hall, thc publichousc,
thc lcss you think, lovc thcorizc, sing, paint, lcncc, ctc. thc morc you
savc thc greater bccomcs your trcasurc thc lcss you arc .
8

Tc lact that thc products ol thc capitalist rcgimc lulll physical
nccds is ultimatcly unimportant to Marx bccausc thcy do not satis
ly thc lundamcntal human nccd lor bcauty. Tc ccntrality ol disin
tcrcstcd plcasurc in Marxism placcs it in dircct opposition to ninc
tccnth ccntury Utilitarianism. A mastcr ol thc cpithct, Marx snccrcd
in Capital that archPhilistinc Jcrcmy 8cntham rcprcscntcd, thc
insipid, pcdantic, lcathcrtongucd oraclc ol thc commonplacc bour
gcois intclligcncc ol thc ninctccnth ccntury, and that at no timc and
in no country has thc most trivial commonplacc cvcr bclorc struttcd
about with such appalling scllsatislaction. 8cnthams sins includ
cd, among othcr ocnscs, condcmning artistic criticism as harm
lul, bccausc it disturbs worthy pcoplc in thcir cnjoymcnt ol Martin
Tuppcr, Tuppcr bcing a contcmporary quotablc nglish poct Marx
lound unbcarably vulgar.
9
8cntham and his scllintcrcstcd disciplcs
wcrc nglish boors ol thc lowcst ordcr, and posscsscd no acsthctic
scnsc. Tcy madc an unlorgivablc mistakc and conluscd animal nccd
(utility) with human nccd (acsthctic), and thcrclorc could not un
dcrstand thc ncccssity or purposc ol art or artistic criticism.
Cnvis R~s:ussvx 6 Uciv ~xb Moxs:vous: M~vxis: Avs:nv:ics 7
Also in ngland, howcvcr, livcd and wrotc thc most important
authors ol ninctccnth ccntury, bccausc, Marx argucd, thcir work
shook up a complaccnt bourgcoisic. Marx praiscd ickcns, Tack
cry, thc 8rontc sistcrs lor rcvcaling thc prcsumption, acctation,
pctty tyranny, and ignorancc ol thc nglish middlc class. Tcsc
writcrs wcrc thc anti8cnthams ol thcir agc, scarching lor bcauty
but nding instcad a world ol child labor and massproduccd scn
timcntal trash. Articulating social truths bccamc thc solc purposc
ol artists living in an alicnatcd rcality.
10
Upon nding a contcmpo
rary poct hc approvcd ol, Marx praiscd Fcrdinand Frcilgrath as a
rcal rcvolutionary and an honcst man. Nowhcrc docs Marx com
mcnt on thc bcauty ol Frciligraths vcrscs, but his rcvolutionary po
tcntial clcctricd Marx.
11
!n A Contribution to the Critique of Polit-
ical Economy, Marx argucd that all art rcproduccs its social rcality,
and thcrclorc in an agc ol uglincss and alicnation, contcmporary
art must rccct thosc valucs.
12
From thcsc loundations socialist rc
alism and antiart would cmcrgc.
Tc cxtcnsion ol Marxs thcorics on thc spccic political rolc ol
thc artist was largcly lclt to his idcological succcssors. Following thc
discovcry and publication ol Marxs carly writings in thc 1930s, a
lurious dcbatc ovcr Marxist acsthctics bcgan. Mikhail Lilschitzs
kickcd o a discoursc with Karl Marx und die Aesthetik that rcachcd
a crcsccndo in thc 1960s and 70s. At issuc wcrc why Marxism could
at timcs appcar hostilc to art, and how artist luscd thc acsthctic and
thc political. Tc rilt bctwccn 8crtolt 8rccht and Gcorg Lukacs was
cmblcmatic ol a largcr split bctwccn Marxists supporting a morc
convcntional vicw ol acsthctics that was dctachcd and at timcs at
variancc with Marxs writings (thc Lukacs laction) and thosc who
took Marxs dialcctic and agonistic historical mcchanics as an abso
lutc starting point lor thc cvaluation and crcation ol art (thc 8rccht
laction). Ultimatcly, 8rcchts rctcntion ol corcMarxist principlcs,
including thc militancy ol art and its commitmcnt to a diachronic,
historical pcrspcctivc won out.
13
Vhat bccomcs apparcnt lrom a bricl ovcrvicw is that though
thc critics, likc Marx, lovcd art and thc plcasurc it produccd, thcy
wcrc simultancously bound by thc logic ol thc systcm to rcjcct thc
art produccd in thcir timc as ugly but politically usclul or, much
worsc, plcasant and rcactionary. Hcrbcrt Marcusc, Valtcr 8cnjamin,
and othcr Ncw Marxist intcllcctuals lought against thc cort to por
tray Marxism as a systcm ol cconomic dctcrminism, and in 8cnja
mins casc, complctcly invcrtcd thc old bascsupcrstructurc arrangc
mcnt. !n ordcr to rcstorc acsthctics, thcy lound it was ncccssary to
givc thc conscious artist agcncy. Arguing that thc artist is thc onc
who through an uncompromising cngagcmcnt with social rcality bc
comcs idcologist who picrccs thc vcil ol lalsc consciousncss, thcy
maintaincd that Marxist criticism must at somc lcvcl bc politically
inlormcd and thc artist and critic arc to bc idcnticd by thcir pas
sionatc involvcmcnt thc humanity.
14
Tough purc art rcquircs dis
intcrcst, thcy claimcd that disintcrcst was not a quality thc Marxist
artist or critic should cultivatc.
At thc lront ol thc Ncw Marxists stood Hcrbcrt Marcusc, who in
an imprcssivc intcllcctual lcat not only succcsslully luscd Marxism
with Frcudianism,
15
but also carricd Marxist acsthctics to thcir nal
rcsting placc. Marcusc dcspaircd ovcr capitalisms ability to absorb,
coopt, and rcndcr impotcnt thc libcrating potcntial ol rcvolution
ary art. !n an initially strangc linking ol thc pluralistic libcral dcmoc
racics and totalitarianism, Marcusc nds thc lormula lor a Marxist
acsthctics. !n thc rcalm ol culturc, thc ncw totalitarianism manilcsts
itscll prcciscly in a harmonizing pluralism, whcrc thc most contra
dictory works and truths pcacclully cocxist in indicrcncc, a situa
tion that undcrmincs, thc vcry basis ol thc artistic alicnation.
16

Marcusc contcnds that artists, in ordcr to bc authcntic and rclc
vant, must bc thc most alicnatcd mcmbcrs ol modcrn socicty. Cap
italisms biggcst problcm is that it makcs lilc too plcasurablc, and
thc artist and his subjcct havc troublc sccing why it should bc rc
sistcd. Any dccrcasc in alicnation and subscqucnt sucring rcprc
scnts a rcactionary intrusion to bc challcngcd and ncgatcd. Mar
cusc was thc rst to rcalizc thc ccntral importancc ol thc artist
in Marxs acsthcticallyccntcrcd systcm and thc implications this
poscd lor Marxism at largc. Marcusc rcmaincd pcssimistic about
thc luturc ol art, cvcn antiart, bccausc cvcn it lalls into thc daily
univcrsc, as an cnjoyablc and undcrstandablc clcmcnt ol this uni
Cnvis R~s:ussvx 8 Uciv ~xb Moxs:vous: M~vxis: Avs:nv:ics 9
vcrsc.
17
Arts sccmingly inhcrcnt ability to plcasc is somcthing
to bc rcgardcd with thc utmost suspicion. Arguing lrom thc 8rc
chtian pcrspcctivc, Marcusc maintains that artists must strivc lor,
and critics must promotc, lurthcr cstrangcmcnt, so that cmpathy
and lccling drain out ol art and arc rcplaccd by distancc and rccc
tion.
18
Art must incrcasc thc lccling ol alicnation and ultimatcly
ncgatc rcality. Marcusc callcd this conccpt thc Grcat Rclusal and
its implications arc staggcring, surrcal, and lrightcning.
Likc his mastcr, Marcusc was an artistic rcductionist thc cs
scntial corc ol good art undcr capitalism was its ability to cngagc
thc subjccts scnsc ol rightcous indignation at thc statc ol cvcry
thing cxisting. Authcnticity has nothing to do with craltsmanship or
any othcr scntimcntal hcrcsy Marx would accusc Proudhon and thc
Frcnch socialist ol promoting, but in its political oricntation. Valtcr
8cnjamin wcnt as lar as to placc political oricntation in a dominant
position ovcr cconomic rcality. !nstcad ol |authcnticity| bcing bascd
on ritual, it bcgins to bc bascd on anothcr practicc politics.
19
An
artist could not producc authcntic art without a propcr political ori
cntation. Posscssing a Marxist worldvicw, an artist would conscious
ly try to rcproducc or amplily thc alicnation ol his lilc in his work.
Tcn and only thcn could hc makc a propcr indictmcnt ol thc cvil
world hc all inhabits, thcrcby inciting thc disoricnting or inccndiary
ccct in thc subjcct. !l thc artist lound dclight in somconc or somc
thing and dcpictcd it in his work, his work was no longcr subvcrsivc,
and thus accommodationist and implicitly rcactionary. Marxist acs
thctcs should rcgard thc prcscnt as hatclul.
Marcusc and promincnt thcorists rcjcction ol thc world as an
ugly placc and its human inhabitants as animalistic comcs as a dircct
rcsult ol Marxisms philosophical grounding in Hcgclian philosophy.
Hcgcls dialcctic is groundcd in thc notion that mans purposc in thc
univcrsc was to bccomc awarc ol his own divinity. Human history
thus bccomcs a proccss whcrcby spirit and mattcr violcntly clash as
thc univcrsc progrcsscs lincarly with man bccoming cvcr morc awarc
ol himscll as God. Tc division in thc world bctwccn spirit and mat
tcr cnds whcn God, through man, achicvcs scllconsciousncss. Man,
incrcasingly awarc ol his truc naturc, dcmands thc innitc, and in
thc cort to achicvc total scllconsciousncss, dcstroys all clcmcnts in
himscll and his world that arc at variancc with his divinity. !dcntily
ing impurity lrom within or without, man singlcs out thc contami
nating clcmcnt and annihilatcs it, and thus thc dialcctic progrcsscs.
Man cannot tolcratc ambiguity and is lockcd in a ncvcrcnding bat
tlc with scll. Tc normal man in thc Hcgclian worldvicw appcars as
a ncurotic pcrsonality, constantly at war with his own bcing and thc
world at largc.
20

Tc ncvcrcnding, violcnt qucst lor scllactualization rcprcscnts
a rcligion ol rcvolution, in which thc changc is thc highcst valuc.
As Hcgcl put it, Tc tcndcncy ol all mans cndcavors is to undcr
stand thc world, to appropriatc and subduc it to himscll, and to this
cnd thc positivc rcality ol thc world must bc as it wcrc crushcd and
poundcd, in othcr words, idcalizcd (Tuckcr 5051). Ultimatcly, thc
univcrsc, god, and man would bc onc suprcmcly scllawarc spirit. !n
ordcr to accomplish this, rcality was to bc trcatcd with utmost vio
lcncc, crushcd and poundcd into submission.
Marcuscs Grcat Rclusal stands in a dircct linc strctching back
through Marx to Hcgcl, and Marcuscs critiquc ol pluralism has its
antcccdcnt in Hcgcls dictum , |F|or lrccdom it is ncccssary that
wc should lccl no prcscncc ol somcthing with is not oursclvcs.
21

Likcwisc, thc ccntral rolc ol art cxtcnds back through to Hcgcl and
Gcrman philosophy in gcncral. Hcgcl idcntics crcativc scllcxprcs
sion as cvidcncc ol mans conncction to thc divinc, Marx sccs crc
ativc production as uniqucly human (and lor all intcnts and purpos
cs divinc), and Marcusc idcntics artists as thosc most acctcd by
thcir alicnation thc most rcvolutionary class capablc ol convinc
ing thc world to rcjcct itscll. Marx and Marcusc dicr lrom Hcgcl in
thcir contcntion that artists can hclp thc cndlcss rcvolutionary cyclc
lorward Hcgcl bclicvcd thc proccss to bc incvitablc and prcdctcr
mincd. Tcir rcjcction ol thc world as unnishcd or impurc, howcv
cr, rcmains lundamcntally Hcgclian, as docs thcir call lor thc annihi
lation ol all lorms ol othcrncss.
Tcsc thcn arc thc ccntral acsthctic tcncts ol Marxism: thc world
is corrupt and bccausc ol its corruption man has bccomc alicnatcd
lrom himscll and incapablc ol bcing human, which mcans incapa
Cnvis R~s:ussvx 10 Uciv ~xb Moxs:vous: M~vxis: Avs:nv:ics 11
blc ol cvaluating bcauty via thc acsthctic cxpcricncc. Tcrclorc, to rc
claim his birthright and lulll his dcstiny, man must rcjcct this world
and rcgain his lundamcntal powcrs ol crcation through acsthctical
ly satislying labor, which will bc amplicd and cxtcndcd to all classcs
by mcans ol mcchanical rcproduction. Tc Grcat Rclusal rcquircs
a compctc ncgation ol all positivc rcality. For thc dark days ol thc
prcscnt, art cxists lor thc solc purposc ol raising rcvolutionary con
sciousncss. Vhcthcr it takcs thc lorm ol socialist rcalism, rcvcaling
thc alicnatcd rcality ol thc social milicu, or 8rcchtian cxprcssionism
that cmphasizcs thc grotcsquc and cxaggcratcs alicnation, it cannot
harmonizc thc lacultics and producc plcasurc. !t cannot, thcrclorc bc
bcautilul, and as Marx and Gcrman philosophy makc clcar, it is not
real art. As Marcusc rcalizcd, Marxist artists must bc vigilant against
thc potcntial ol capitalist cooption and bc cngagcd in an cndlcss
strugglc to makc cvcrmorc alicnatcd and angry art. As rcvolutionar
ics ncgatc thc world in violcnt action, artists similarly rclusc any ac
commodation, and in thcir works ncgatc and indict positivc rcality.
Total, violcnt rcjcction is thc Marxist acsthctic, or antiacsthctic. Tc
rclusal ol any bcauty in thc world makcs Marxist acsthctics a contra
diction in tcrms. Tc contradiction is important bccausc it indicatcs
a largcr and troubling problcm inhcrcnt in Marxism.
!n Grcck art Marx saw thc charmcd play ol mans normal chil
drcn. Tc plcasurc Grcck art produccd in modcrn man rcprcscnt
cd not thc truc acsthctic cxpcricncc, but mcrcly thc nostalgic long
ing lor thc unalicnatcd cxistcncc ol his past.
22
Marx lovcd Grcck art,
but rationalizcd and diminishcd his acsthctic cxpcricncc to t with
in thc narrow conncs ol a totalizing systcm ol unlimitcd rcjcction.
Nothing could sccm as ascctic as thc dcnial ol plcasurc, but this is
thc ultimatc advicc ol Marx and his lollowcrs. nc should lccl guilt
il onc dclights in any part ol a corrupt world. Plcasurc and acsthct
ic cnjoymcnt must wait until thc social rcvolution, and cvcn thcn, as
Marcusc notcs, it still might not bc a good idca to crcatc or indulgc
in plcasurablc art as ros and Tanatos rcmain irrcconcilablc. Vhat
appcars to bc a systcm dcsigncd to dclcnd bcauty, in lact bccomcs
onc that sccks out and dcstroys bcauty whcrcvcr it nds it. Tc rc
jcction ol positivc rcality has had a murdcrous and barbarous impact
on world history, as thc prcvious ccnturys rcvolutionary mass movc
mcnts attcst. To rcjcct thc world as onc knows it marks thc worst cx
ccss ol romantic idcalism, substituting an unknown abstract lor rcal,
cxpcricnccd (but dcnicd) plcasurc. Tc Grcat Rclusal is rcally thc
grcat cscapc, an intcllcctual ight away lrom ambiguity and thc dil
culty ol pluralism into an imagincd purity. Marx could not acccpt
thc simultancous cxistcncc ol 8cntham and ickcns, and it is thc
unlortunatc logic ol his systcm that both would lacc annihilation.
Cnvis R~s:ussvx 12 Uciv ~xb Moxs:vous: M~vxis: Avs:nv:ics 13
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Notes
1 Lcc 8axandall and Stclan Morawski, cds. Marx & Engels on Literature and
Art: A Selection of Writings. St. Louis: Tclos Prcss, 1973, 5.
2 Karl Marx. Capital: A Critique of Political Economy. v. 3, cd. Frcdcrick ngcls.
Ncw York: !ntcrnational Publishcrs, 1967, 451
3 From Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts, in Te Marx-Engels Reader, cd.
Robcrt Tuckcr. Ncw York, Cambridgc Univcrsity Prcss, 1972, 52.
4 Karl Marx, Capital: A Critique of Political Economy v. 1, cd. Frcdcrick ngcls.
Ncw York: !ntcrnational Publishcrs, 1967, 4041.
5 From Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts, in Te Marx-Engels Reader, cd.
Robcrt Tuckcr. Ncw York, Cambridgc Univcrsity Prcss, 1972, 745.
6 Karl Max, PrcCapitalist Formations,in Marx & Engels on Literature and
Art: A Selection of Writings. in Lcc 8axandall and Stclan Morawski, cds. St.
Louis: Tclos Prcss, 1973, 63
7 !mmanucl Kant, Critique of Judgement, in Critical Teory Since Plato. cd. Haz
ard Adams. Fort Vorth: Harcourt 8racc Jovanvich Collcgc Publishcrs, 1992,
376377.
8 Karl Marx, Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts, in Marx & Engels on Lit-
erature and Art: A Selection of Writings. Lcc 8axandall and Stclan Morawski,
cds St. Louis: Tclos Prcss, 1973, 62.
9 Karl Marx. Capital: A Critique of Political Economy. v. 3, cd. Frcdcrick ngcls.
Ncw York: !ntcrnational Publishcrs, 1967, 688.
10 Karl Marx, Tc nglish Middlc Class, Marx & Engels on Literature and
Art: A Selection of Writings. Lcc 8axandall and Stclan Morawski, cds St. Lou
is: Tclos Prcss, 1973, 105.
11 Karl Marx, Lcttcr to Joscph Vcydcmcycr, in Marx & Engels on Literature
and Art: A Selection of Writings, Lcc 8axandall and Stclan Morawski, cds St.
Louis: Tclos Prcss, 1973, 120.
12 Karl Marx, Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, in Critical Teory
Since Plato. cd. Hazard Adams. Fort Vorth: Harcourt 8racc Jovanvich Col
lcgc Publishcrs, 1992,
13 Mittcnzwci, Vcrncr. Tc 8rcchtLukacs cbatc, Preserve and Create: Es-
says in Marxist Literary Criticism. ds. Gaylord C. LcRoy and Ursula 8citz.
Ncw York: Humanitics Prcss, 1973, 228.
14 Maynard Soloman, cd. Marxism and Art: Essays Classic and Contemporary.
Ncw York: Allrcd A. Knopl, 1973.
Cnvis R~s:ussvx 14
15 Unlikc Marx, Marcusc did not bclicvc that thc social rcvolution would au
tomatically rcsult in an acsthctic utopia. Tis signicant dicrcncc is duc to
Marcuscs synthcsis ol Marxism with Frcudianism. Socialism docs not and
cannot libcratc ros lrom Tanatos, Hcrbcrt Marcusc. Tc Acsthctic i
mcnsion: Toward a Critiquc ol Marxist Acsthctics, 8oston: 8cacon Prcss,
1978, 7273.
16 Hcrbcrt Marcusc. Te One Dimensional Man, 8oston: 8cacon Prcss, 1978,
62.
17 Hcrbcrt Marcusc as quotcd in Marxism and Art: Essays Classic and Contem-
porary. cd. Maynard Soloman, Ncw York: Allrcd A. Knopl, 522.
18 !bid., 523.
19 Valtcr 8cnjamin. Tc Trajcctory ol Art, Marxism and Art: Essays Classic
and Contemporary. cd. Maynard Soloman, Ncw York: Allrcd A. Knopl, 557.
20 Robcrt Tuckcr, Philosophy and Myth in Karl Marx. London: Cambridgc Uni
vcrsity Prcss, 1972, 50.
21 !bid., 53.
22 Karl Marx, A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy. in Critical Te-
ory Since Plato. cd. Hazard Adams, Fort Vorth: Harcourt 8racc Jovanovich
Collcgc Publishcrs, 1992, 378.