Art / music

die Ästhetik

aesthetics / philosophy of beauty and sensory perception

die Kunstfreiheit

artistic freedom / constitutional protection of the arts

die Kulturförderung

public funding of the arts / cultural patronage

das Kulturgut

cultural asset / cultural heritage good

die Interpretation

interpretation / critical reading of a work

die Konvention

convention / established artistic or social norm

der Bruch mit Konventionen

break with traditions or conventions

die Zensur

censorship

die Bildende Kunst

visual arts / fine arts

die Darstellende Kunst

performing arts (theatre, dance)

die Avantgarde

avant-garde / pioneering artistic movements

das Gesamtkunstwerk

total work of art / synthesis of diverse arts

die Provokation

provocation / intentional challenge to public sensibilities

der Kunstbetrieb

the art world / art market and institutional infrastructure

die Subvention

subsidy / state financial grant

die Musikästhetik

musical aesthetics

die Harmonielehre

harmony / music theory of chords and chord progressions

die Dissonanz

dissonance / unresolved tension in sound or thought

die Klangfarbe

timbre / tone color

die Improvisation

improvisation

das Repertoire

repertoire

die Interpretation

performance / interpretive rendition of a composition

die Geistesgeschichte

intellectual history / history of ideas

das Gedankengebäude

intellectual framework / philosophical system

die Erkenntnistheorie

epistemology / theory of knowledge

die Ethik

ethics / moral philosophy

der Existenzialismus

existentialism

der Rationalismus

rationalism

der Empirismus

empiricism

der Relativismus

relativism / denial of absolute truth

der Determinismus

determinism / doctrine that all events are determined

der freie Wille

free will

das Moralurteil

moral judgment

die Sinnfrage

question of meaning / existential question of purpose

die Vergänglichkeit

transience / ephemerality / impermanence

die Sinnstiftung

creation of meaning / providing existential purpose

das Paradoxon

paradox / seemingly contradictory proposition

der Begriff

concept / philosophical term

die Dekonstruktion

deconstruction / critical dismantling of conceptual assumptions

subversiv

subversive / challenging established power or norms

abstrakt

abstract / non-representational

gegenständlich

figurative / representational (in visual art)

flüchtig

ephemeral / transient / fleeting

erhaben

sublime / awe-inspiring and transcendent

bedeutungsgeladen

fraught with meaning / laden with significance

normativ

normative / prescriptive of standards and values

deskriptiv

descriptive / reporting factual states without value judgment

dogmatisch

dogmatic / asserting principles without critical reflection

holistisch

holistic / comprehensive / considering the whole system

sinnstiftend

meaning-giving / conferring purpose

hinterfragen

to scrutinize / critically call into question

überwinden

to transcend / overcome (a tradition, dogma, or boundary)

vermitteln

to mediate / convey / bridge (e.g., between art and public)

deuten

to interpret / decipher meaning

widerspiegeln

to reflect / mirror (societal conditions in art)

ergründen

to fathom / investigate deeply / get to the bottom of

kanonisieren

to canonize / elevate to an accepted standard

subventionieren

to subsidize / fund publicly

entmystifizieren

to demystify / strip of mythical status

postulieren

to postulate / assert as a baseline claim

einen Diskurs anstossen

to trigger a public or academic discourse

den Geist der Zeit erfassen

to capture the zeitgeist / spirit of the age

zum Nachdenken anregen

to provoke thought / stimulate reflection

die Grenzen ausloten

to explore boundaries / push limits

eine Brücke schlagen zwischen

to build a bridge between / link two separate concepts

der Selbstzweck

end in itself (art for art's sake: l'art pour l'art)

die Deutungshoheit

authority of interpretation / interpretive prerogative

die Elfenbeinturm-Mentalität

ivory-tower mentality / detachment from practical reality

das ästhetische Empfinden

aesthetic sensitivity / aesthetic appreciation

im Auge des Betrachters liegen

to be in the eye of the beholder