ELI5: the gesamtkunstwerk theory

The Gesamtkunstwerk theory was popularized by a German music composer named Richard Wagner, who believed that the greatest kind of art happens when every single type of art is combined into one massive, ultimate show.

Wagner, who lived in the 1800s, made grand musical plays called operas. He looked at the entertainment around him and felt disappointed because he thought the arts were not working well together. He noticed that the music was doing one thing, the actors were doing another, and the stage painters were just doing their own project.

To fix this, Wagner dreamed up the idea of a total work of art, which is what the giant German word Gesamtkunstwerk actually means.

Think of it like making the ultimate birthday cake:

• If you eat a cup of sugar alone, it is too sweet.


• If you eat a spoon of raw flour, it tastes terrible.


• If you eat a stick of butter, it makes you sick.


• But when you mix the sugar, flour, butter, and chocolate together in the exact right way and bake them, you get a delicious cake that is way better than any of the single ingredients on their own.

Wagner wanted to be the master chef of art. He believed that instead of enjoying music, painting, poetry, acting, and architecture separately, an artist should mix them all into one giant experience:

• Poetry and Storytelling: Writing the plot and the spoken words.
• Music: Setting the emotional mood for every single moment.
• Visual Arts: Creating beautiful sets, painted backgrounds, and magical costumes.
• Architecture: Designing a special theater building so every audience member can hear and see everything perfectly.

Because Wagner wanted total control over his artistic "cake," he even built his own special opera house in Germany. He dimmed the lights so people would not get distracted, hid the orchestra under the stage so the instruments would not block the view, and made sure every sense was focused on the story. Today, people use his idea whenever they make giant blockbuster movies or create immersive video games where sound, visuals, and story work as one.