Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Gesamtkunstwerk

English translation:

a work of art in its own right

Added to glossary by Alexandra Collins
Mar 28, 2005 10:32
19 yrs ago
7 viewers *
German term

Gesamtkunstwerk

German to English Art/Literary Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
Dieses Museum ist ein Gesamtkustwerk

Discussion

Non-ProZ.com Mar 28, 2005:
Die K�nstlerkolonie auf der Mathildenh�he � ein einzigartiges Gesamtkunstwerk
That is the sentence to translate

Proposed translations

+3
11 mins
Selected

a work of art in its own right

(let alone its contents)

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Note added at 13 hrs 7 mins (2005-03-28 23:39:31 GMT)
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Unlike Lucas (see below) I have visited the Mathildenhöhe. The museum building is a spectacular example of \'Jugendstil\' (art nouveau). The picture on this webpage shows exactly what an unusual building it is:
http://www.darmstadt.de/www.info.darmstadt.de/info/mathilde....
For an explanation of \'Jugendstil\' (art nouveau) see
http://www.wokalamps.com/infos/index.asp?go=english/designer...
Peer comment(s):

agree Ian M-H (X)
14 mins
agree mustafaer
1 hr
agree mstkwasa
2 hrs
agree Steffen Walter
3 hrs
disagree Michael Schubert : This is the most natural-sounding answer, but incomplete. "Gesamtkunstwerk" is a common term in the arts (given a target audience of just artists, I would leave it untranslated), describing a synthesis/fusion of more than one form of art.
5 hrs
"This is the most natural-sounding answer...". Praise indeed Michael. Thank you!//Suggest you look at the picture on the above webpage then you might see what I mean.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks!"
+1
12 mins

work of art in itself

I'd say here
Peer comment(s):

agree mustafaer
1 hr
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+3
15 mins

synthesis of the arts

one online and the Pons Collins Großwörterbuch suggest this; Langenscheidt suggests "total art work", but admittedly, I feel uneasy about this term (it just doesn't sound right).
Peer comment(s):

agree mustafaer
1 hr
agree Michael Schubert : Yes, this is indeed what "Gesamtkunstwerk" means! Another option would be "artistic synthesis" or perhaps even "fusion"
5 hrs
agree lucasm (X) : This is the meaning. According to the Grove dictionary of art (http://www.artnet.de/library/03/0317/T031798.ASP?), a Gesamtkunstwerk is a "complete, unified or total work of art". I find 'synthesis of the arts' a bit inelegant, though.
11 hrs
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+1
17 hrs

Gesamtkunstwerk or total artwork

...music theater, and all the arts, lay in an embrace of Gesamtkunstwerk or total artwork, a fusion of the arts that had not been attempted on this scale ...
I would go with this...
aus einer zweiten Google-Suche...
Gesamtkunstwerk [Ger.: complete, unified or total work of art]. Term first used by RICHARD WAGNER in Das Kunstwerk der Zukunft (1849) to describe his

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Note added at 17 hrs 9 mins (2005-03-29 03:42:07 GMT)
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Ich empfinde es so, dass der Term \"Gesamtkunstwerk\" im Wesentlichen unübersetzbar aber relativ einfach umschreibbar ist. I would prefer \"total artwork\" because IMHO you do not get the meaning of \"gesamt\" otherwise.
I hope I could be helpful

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Note added at 17 hrs 11 mins (2005-03-29 03:43:55 GMT)
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Therefore I would go with the German term and add in brackets or \"or\" what you like as an english EXPLANATION, not TRANSLATION.
Peer comment(s):

agree lucasm (X) : I know I already gave the nod to Brigitte above, but I do agree that the German term should be included.
16 hrs
Gut, sehr befriedigend für mein EGO. :-)
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