Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844 – 1900) was a German philosopher whose controversial ideas had a profound impact on painters, dancers, poets, musicians, playwrights, novelists, sociologists, psychologists, literary theorists, historians, and philosophers of 20th century. He was engaged with a wide range of subjects in which he questioned morality of Christianity and of other prominent moral doctrines of his day. Central to his philosophy was the idea of reevaluation of the values of human existence. His best-known proclamation that "God is dead" aimed to redirect people's attention to their inherent freedom away from pain-relieving world beyond. Here, Nietzsche assumed that the death of God may lead to outright nihilism, the belief that life lacks any value. Nevertheless, he described nihilism as a necessary step in the transition to a revitalization of all values. In this regard, Nietzsche saw art as the single superior counterforce against life-denying essence.
