Friedrich Nietzsche, a 19th-century German philosopher, witnessed rise of nihilism during the Victorian Era. Nihilism is the rejection of religious and moral traditions along with the belief that life is meaningless. In response, Nietzsche proposed The Overman, a figure who transcends conventional morality and creates new self-affirming values. This ideal represents the pinnacle of human potential, challenging individuals to overcome their limitations and forge their own unique paths (Nietzsche, 124). The Overman represents active acceptance of Nihilism, where individuals confront nihilism by creating their own meaning in a world devoid of inherent purpose. However, Nietzsche also acknowledges that the vast majority of people prefer the conformity and the security of what he called the ‘Last Man’. For Nietzsche, the Last Man represents a passive acceptance of nihilism, embracing a life devoid of meaning where comfort and complacency are paramount.
In this paper, I will argue, that art can serve as a tool for finding meaning in a seemingly meaningless world. By examining the works of Barnett Newman, Joseph Beuys, Cecilia Vicuña and Andy Warhol within the Nietzschean archetypes of the Overman and the Last Man, I will explore how these artists respond to the nihilism. Barnett Newman, an Abstract Expressionist, seeks spiritual meaning in his art, not as a response to nihilism, rather, he seeks new meaning while reacting against traditional religious values of the past. In this paper I will use Newman to lay the groundwork for understanding the role of art in addressing this existential question.
Lets first begin by reviewing Friedrich Nietzsche’s archetypes the Overman and the Last man. Friedrich Nietzsche, a 19th-century German philosopher, witnessed rise of nihilism during the Victorian Era. Nihilism is the rejection of religious and moral traditions along with the belief that life is meaningless.
In response, Nietzsche proposed The Overman, a figure who transcends conventional morality and creates new self-affirming values. This ideal represents the pinnacle of human potential, challenging individuals to overcome their limitations and forge their own unique paths (Nietzsche, 124). The Overman represents an active acceptance of Nihilism, where individuals confront nihilism by creating their own meaning in a world devoid of inherent purpose. However, Nietzsche also acknowledges that the vast majority of people prefer the conformity and the security of what he called the ‘Last Man’. For Nietzsche, the Last Man represents a passive acceptance of nihilism, embracing a life devoid of meaning where comfort and complacency are paramount.
Nietzsche begins his book Thus Spoke Zarathustra with the prophet leaves his cave and encounters a crowd anticipating a tightrope walker’s performance (Nietzsche, 124). He takes this opportunity to introduce the crowd to his concept of the Overman, a being who transcends conventional morality and creates their own values. Using the tightrope walker as a metaphor, Zarathustra highlights the delicate balance between chaos and order, between our human desires and self-overcoming (Nietzsche, 128). The crowd, however, is hostile to Zarathustra’s message. He then warns the crowd of the dangers of the ‘Last Man,’ a figure characterized by conformity, apathy, and nihilism. The crowd responds positively to the concept of the ‘Last Man’ confirming Zarathustra’s fear that the masses are predisposed to nihilism (Nietzsche, 130). Nietzsche’s fears are clarified by the following quote from Thus Spoke Zarathustra: “No shepherd and no herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same…” (Nietzsche, 130). Zarathustra rails against conformity and complacency, exposing them as mere coping mechanisms for the terror of a life devoid of meaning.
Nietzsche’s concepts of the Overman and the Last Man represent two opposing forces that he believed struggle within humanity. The Overman can be understood through the lens of an active acceptance of nihilism, while the Last Man can be seen as a passive acceptance of nihilism. The Overman embodies the spirit of innovation, creativity, and the pursuit of excellence; while the Last Man represents the dangers of complacency, conformity, and the loss of individual will.
I will argue, that art can serve as a tool for finding meaning in a seemingly meaningless world. By examining the works of Barnett Newman, Joseph Beuys, Cecilia Vicuña and Andy Warhol within the Nietzschean archetypes of the Overman and the Last Man, I will explore how these artists respond to the nihilism. Barnett Newman, an Abstract Expressionist, seeks spiritual meaning in his art, not as a response to nihilism, rather, he seeks new meaning while reacting against traditional religious values of the past. Here I will use Newman to lay the groundwork for understanding the role of art in addressing this existential question. Joseph Beuys, a German sculpture and performance artist, engages in active acceptance of nihilism, using art as a catalyst for social change. His work exemplifies the Overman’s potential to shape society through creative action. Cecilia Vicuña is a Chilean multi-media artist and activist uses art to explore ideas such as decay, loss, and memory as an active acceptance of nihilism. In contrast, Andy Warhol embraces a passive acceptance of nihilism that merely reflects the superficiality of modern society. His work can be interpreted as both a criticism and celebration of consumer culture, reflecting Nietzsche’s Last Man. By comparing these artists, I will argue that an active approach to nihilism offers a more potent and socially relevant response to the challenges of the modern world, while a passive acceptance merely illuminates the problems in society without inspiring change.
I will first analyze an essay by the American abstract expressionist Barnett Newman, to lay the groundwork for the human desire to create meaning in relation to Nietzsche’s Overman. In his essay, The First Man Was an Artist, Newman describes how the earliest forms of art were not merely functional or utilitarian but were expressions of human spirituality and imagination. Newman’s argument is rooted in the idea that humans have an innate desire to express themselves and to create meaning. This desire, he argues, is what drives artistic creation. Newman believes this human need to create is driven by a need to know the unknowable, to make sense of the unexplainable. Newman takes this idea further when he proclaims “…that the job of the artist is not to discover truth, but to fashion it…” (Newman, 575). Here, Newman proclaims that humans create their own truths rather than reveal a single underlying truth.
Newman’s thesis is synonymous with Nietzsche’s ‘Will to Power,’ the driving force behind The Overman. According to Nietzsche, the will to power is the driving force in all beings, a force of untethered self-overcoming (Nietzsche, 225). Nietzsche sees creativity as a vital aspect of The Overman’s journey. The Overman is inherently creative, not merely a product of their environment but a shaper of it (Nietzsche, 228). Newman would agree that our need to understand and shape our world is always at play in human beings. By embracing the creative impulse and seeking to understand the unknowable, artists can help us reconnect with our deepest selves and rediscover the meaning of human existence.
Newman’s large-scale abstract paintings, include bold, vertical lines and wide fields of color to evoke a sense of the infinite and the sublime. In this sense, his art can be seen as a search for meaning and transcendence. Newman’s search for meaning is not in response to nihilism, rather, he was reacting against traditional Christian values while seeking new values in Modernism. In Newman’s series “The Stations of the Cross: Lema Sabachthani,” he incorporates his signature “zip”, a vertical strip between wider vertical bands of color. In the case of “Stations,” he diverted from his typical rich, saturated color and chose whites, off whites and blacks to possibly illustrate unadorned suffering. These paintings were not meant to be spiritual in the Christian sense; rather, they are a secular interpretation of what transpired during this biblical event. Newman was trying to find meaning in suffering that ended with the unanswered question, “Lema Sabachthani” Why have you forsaken me? This series of paintings represent a quest for meaning and transcendence, his pure forms inspire viewers to contemplate the infinite and their own existence within it. Newman’s work encourages viewers to recognize their individuality and interconnectedness, embodying Nietzsche’s Overman. By living authentically and courageously, the Overman serves as an inspiration for others to break free from conformity and mediocrity. (Hellstein).
Newman’s work, however, was not an acceptance of nihilism. As a modernist, he rejected old traditions and sought to create new values in art. Rather than embracing a world devoid of meaning, he aimed to replace old values with new ones.
Joseph Beuys, a German avant-garde artist renowned for his sculpture and performance art, embodied a form of active nihilism. His work aimed to inspire social change and harness the power of art to heal and transform society. In his interview with Georg Jappe titled Not Just a Few Are Called, but Everyone, Beuys makes a powerful statement about the democratization of art and the potential for social change through creative expression. He outlines his belief that every human being is an artist and that art should be accessible to all (Beuys, 905). He argues that artists have a responsibility to use their creativity to address pressing social issues and inspire others to participate in shaping the world. Beuys continues this idea by proclaiming that we should all be “co-creators of a social Architecture,” working together as a community to create social change (Beuys, 905). His devotion to inspiring change aligns with Nietzsche’s Overman, whose purpose is to create new values to improve and inspire humanity.
Joseph Beuys’ project titled 7000 Oaks, illustrates his commitment to creating new values and social change. The project began in 1982 with the placement of 7,000 basalt stones by the Fridericianum (Free-der-eesh-En-NUM) Museum in Kassel, Germany. Over a five-year period, each stone was removed from the museum lawn and paired with a newly planted oak tree throughout the city. Beuys hoped this that 7000 Oaks would inspire similar tree-planting initiatives worldwide (7000 Eichen).
His vision was realized through numerous projects inspired by 7000 Oaks. Notable projects include: The Oaks of Tovaangar in Los Angeles (Social Forest), the Joseph Beuys Sculpture Park at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBT), and 100 oak trees at the Tate Modern (Tate).
Cecilia Vicuña is a Chilean artist who includes themes of language, memory, extinction and exile. Her installation Brian Forest Quipu, which was on display at the Tate Modern from October 11, 2022, to April 16, 2023, exemplifies an active acceptance of nihilism. Vicuña’s giant quipu hangs from the three-story ceiling of the Tate Modern, accompanied by video, music and sounds of nature. Brian Forest Quipu celebrates the 5,000-year-old tradition of storing information in knots of fiber, a practice lost to time and the ravages of colonization. While traditional quipus might be as large as a sweater or blanket, Vicuña’s quipu is 27 meters tall, towering above viewers and suggesting its origins are from giants. The vast scale of the quipu, combined with their connection to the distant past, provides a sublime and transcendent experience. The materials used to create the quipu were collected by from the Thames river by local Latin American Woman, to illustrate human destruction of the environment and the displacement of native peoples. The faded, pale fibers hang with both strength and fragility, indicating a once strong past now facing a fragile and tenuous future.
Unlike Nietzsche’s Overman, she finds strength in celebrating and acknowledging past traditions and cultures. Nietzsche viewed past traditions with skepticism, warning that they could hinder individualism and self-overcoming. However, he did argue that past traditions could have some value, but they should be questioned and redefined (Nietzsche, 309). Vicuña’s Brian Forest Quipu exemplifies this approach. Vicuña does not ask her audience to return to old ways; rather, she encourages consideration of how the past affects our future. By acknowledging the destruction of indigenous cultures by colonizers and our destruction of the environment, she creates space for healing.
Vicuña’s use of collaboration to illustrate interconnectedness and the resilience of the human spirit offers a profoundly hopeful view of humanity. Vicuña’s work is very much aligned with the active nihilism of The Overman. Brain Forest Quipu confronts the audience with their participation in climate change and colonization; however, her work doesn’t simply reflect these ideas back to the audience; the Quipu’s natural materials, scale, and collaborative creation inspire the audience to engage in social change.
Nietzsche’s Last Man is an archetype that exemplifies a passive acceptance of nihilism, characterized by apathy, indifference, and a focus on the mundane. This figure prioritizes comfort over risk and lacks a higher purpose.
Andy Warhol’s art, with its focus on consumer culture, mass media, and celebrity, reflects this passive acceptance. Famous works such as the Green Coca-Cola Bottles and the Elizabeth Taylor portraits highlight the superficiality and monotony of modern life. By appropriating and recontextualizing mass-produced media images, Warhol asks the viewer to acknowledge their relationship with media consumption and consumerism and to reflect on its contribution to cultural stagnation. Warhol’s work reflects nihilism back at the audience, but he doesn’t ask the viewer to change or to take a stand against the nihilism of society; he merely points it out to us.
After seeing a newspaper cover about a passenger plane crash, Andy Warhol began his Death and Disaster Series in 1962 (Warhol, 749). In an interview for Art News, Andy described his series that featured silkscreen reproductions of newspaper and magazine images of car crashes, electric chairs, and other images related to death. (Warhol, 748). By repeatedly reproducing these gruesome images, Warhol echoes the media’s voyeuristic fascination with death and destruction, inviting viewers to confront their complicity in this morbid spectacle (Warhol, 748). Warhol’s preoccupation with death and destruction reflects a nihilistic worldview. Warhol says it plainly in his interview with Swensen, “But when you see a gruesome picture over and over again, it doesn’t really have any effect.” (Warhol, 748). His repeated depictions of horrific events reflect the public’s regular inundation with these images in the media, leading to our desensitization. By reducing traumatic events to mere commodities, Warhol critiques consumer culture’s glorification of violence. This series ultimately reflects a passive acceptance of nihilism, presenting a world characterized by indifference and apathy.
In Suicide (Fallen Body), from his Death and Disaster Series, Warhol comments on the media’s sensationalizing of death and tragedy. Based on a photograph of Evelyn McHale’s suicide, the piece confronts viewers with the morbid reality of death. Warhol sourced the image from Life Magazine, created a silkscreen, and repeated the image across a canvas. The repetition and coloring of the image highlight the media’s exploitation and commodification of death. By recontextualizing the image and presenting it in an art gallery, Warhol raises questions about the voyeuristic tendencies of society. The silk-screen process heightens the image’s contrast, reducing the suicide to a stark, black-and-white abstraction, emphasizing the desensitization of death. While this reflection on contemporary society’s desensitization and commodification of death can be an insightful window into the human condition. It offers the audience no more than a mirror reflection of itself.
Warhol would often use an assembly line approach to his silk screens in an effort to increase the volume of artwork, in turn increasing profits. Warhol supports this point in the following quote, “I think it would be so great if more people took up silk screens so that no one would know whether my picture was mine or somebody else’s.” (Warhol, 747). This idea is counter to the concept of the Overman that celebrates individuality and self-creation. Joseph Beuys’ also included his audience in the creation of 7000 Oaks. Beuys worked with city officials and recruited townspeople to plant the trees. This collaboration brought the community together with the city government to create a healthy environment. Cecilia Vicuña also included her audience in the creation of Brain Forest Quipu. Her purpose was to emphasize human interconnectedness, now and through time. Both Beuys and Vicuña engaged audiences in the creation of their work, fostering social change through their collaborations, in turn embodying the Overman, while Warhol included staff and visitors in the creation of his works to subvert the concept of the individual artist and to increase production, reflecting the Last Man.
In conclusion, Nietzsche’s concepts of the Overman and the Last Man illustrate the conflict within humanity between an active acceptance of nihilism and a passive acceptance of it. I have explored how Barnett Newman, Joseph Beuys, Cecilia Vicuña and Andy Warhol responded to nihilism through the lens of these archetypes. Barnett Newman set the stage by establishing the fundamental human need to create meaning through art. He searches for new meaning through his creative works, not as a response to nihilism, but as an attempt to find new values to replace old religious traditions. Joseph Beuys takes this search further by actively accepting nihilism. He exemplifies The Overman by using art as a catalyst for social change in works such as 7000 Oaks. Cecilia Vicuña’s Brian Forest Quipu embodies the Overman’s inspiration of others by creating new values, but unlike the Overman, she draws on the past to foster future healing. Andy Warhol’s passive acceptance of nihilism reflects the Last Man’s superficiality and resignation. By examining these works, it becomes evident that the struggle between passive and active nihilism is central to understanding the role of art in addressing modern challenges. While a passive acceptance of nihilism merely highlights and criticizes societal ills, an active approach encourages people to strive towards Nietzsche’s Overman by affirming life, overcoming limitations, and creating new values.
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