 Wagner’s first substantial theoretical contributions are the so-called Zurich writings (1849–52), from the name of the city where he spent his exile for having taken part in the 1848 revolution, political movements inspired by democratic and liberal ideals. In these works, Wagner objects to the current state of art in society, and argues that only a new kind of artwork, a “total” artwork (Gesamtkunstwerk) uniting the various art forms, could reestablish art’s role as the “living utterance of a free, self-conscious community” (Wagner 1849a [1892: 41]). According to Wagner, contemporary art is enslaved to either political or financial power. It will become a genuine expression of the community that produces it only after its liberation from the constraints imposed by both the government and the market. Thus, Wagner claims in Art and Revolution (1849) that art is not essentially revolutionary, although it need be revolutionary given the current conditions, “because its very existence is opposed to the ruling spirit of the community” (Wagner 1849a [1892: 52]).