Editing Decadence (section)

=== Decadent nihilistic art ===
[[File:Malevich.black-square.jpg|thumb|"[[Black Square]]" by [[Kazimir Malevich]]]]The philosophy of decadence comes from the work of German philosopher [[Arthur Schopenhauer]] (1788–1860),<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lockerd |first=Martin |date=2023 |title=George Moore and Decadent Antinatalism |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/904914 |journal=Christianity & Literature |volume=72 |issue=2 |pages=154–173 |doi=10.1353/chy.2023.a904914 |issn=2056-5666}}</ref> however, [[Friedrich Nietzsche]] (1844–1900), a specific philosopher of decadence, conceptualized modern decadence on a more influential scale. Holding decadence to be in any condition, ultimately limiting what something or someone can be, Nietzsche used his exploration in nihilism to critique traditional values and morals that threatened the decline in art, literature, and science. [[Nihilism]], generally, is the rejection of moral principles, ultimately believing that life is meaningless. Nihilism, for Nietzsche, was the ultimate fate of Western civilization as old values lost their influence and purpose, in turn, disappeared among society. Predicting a rise in decadence and aesthetic nihilism, creators would renounce the pursuit of beauty and instead welcome the incomprehensible chaos. In art, there have been movements connected to nihilism, such as cubism and surrealism, that pushes for abandoned viewpoints to ultimately tap into the potential of one's conscious mind. [[File:Edgar Degas - In a Café - Google Art Project 2.jpg|thumb|"[[L'Absinthe]]" by Edgar Degas]]Because of this, paintings like 1875-76's [[L'Absinthe|"''L’Absinthe''"]] by [[Edgar Degas]] and 1915's "[[Black Square]]" by [[Kazimir Malevich]] were created. ''L’Absinthe,'' which first showed in 1876, was mocked and called disgusting when panned by critics. Some say the painting is a blow to morality, as a glass filled with Absinthe, an alcoholic drink, rests in front of a woman at a table. Taken to be in bad faith and quite uncouth, Degas's art took decadence as a way to portray ambiguity in random subjects that seem to be drifting between depression and euphoria. Using nihilism in a synonymously way, Degas denoted his paintings to a general mood of despair, mainly at existence as a whole. Comparing this piece to Kazimir Malevich's "Black Square," abstract nihilistic art in the Western tradition was only beginning to take shape as the 20th century came about. Malevich's perception of this piece embraced a philosophy connected to [[Suprematism]] – a new realism in painting that evokes non-objectivity to experience "white emptiness of a liberated nothing," as said by Malevich himself. In nihilism, life has, in a sense, no truth, therefore no action is objectively preferable to another. Malevich's decadent painting shows the complete abandonment of depicting reality, and instead creates his own world of new form. When the painting was first exhibited, the public was in chaos, as society was in its first World War and Malevich reflected a new social revolution as a symbol of a new tomorrow, disregarding the past to move forward. Because of this painting and Degas's, decadence can be portrayed as a physiological foundation for nihilism, bringing out a term called "Decadent Nihilism:" existing beyond the world, and that of vain virtues. According to Nietzsche, Western metaphysical and nihilistic thought is decadent because of its confirmation from 'others' (apart from oneself) based on ideas of a nihilistic God. The extreme position an artist takes is what makes their pieces decadent.