Leni Riefenstahl: Concerning Fascist Aesthetics

The work of Leni Riefenstahl (ignoring whether she was a fascist) was explicative of a general fascist aesthetic. Whether her work was void of any intended ideological content (as she contended) it still remains that they are strong examples of an ideology clearly represented by almost purely visual means.

This is not to say, however, that Riefenstahl’s work is lacking in validity due to the fact that films such as Olympia and Triumph of the Will were funded (generously) by the Nazi government or that Triumph of the Will is often viewed as a purely propagandistic film. Susan Sontag argues that Triumph’s "…very conception negates the possibility of the film maker’s having an aesthetic or visual conception independent of propaganda." While this may at first seem easier to stomach in light of the fact that this film was propaganda for a most despicable entity, this statement is biased.

Riefenstahl's film work from the mountain films to her pictures of the Nuba tribe are attempting to change the audiences viewpoint, romanticizing reality toward the ideal good and evil or beautiful and ugly is in fact inherently fascist. With this in mind, the artist must make a conscious choice, realizing the responsibility of their actions in light of the effect upon the audience, when considering the notion of what is the ideal aesthetic. With all this having been said, the art of Leni Riefenstahl, even with its attached fascist aesthetics, remains as valid as any other artists’ work, even if it is harder to come to grips with this idea due to the political attachments of her art.