Neue Sachlichkeit
Die Neue Sachlichkeit ("The New Objectivity") was an Expressionist art movement founded in Germany in the aftermath of World War I, by Otto Dix and George Grosz. It was characterized by a realistic style combined with a cynical, socially critical philosophical stance. Other artists associated with the movement includeded Max Beckmann and Christian Schad. Gustav Hartlaub coined the term in 1923 in his article "Introduction to 'New Objectivity': German Painting since Expressionism," intended to prepare the audience of an exhibit of art in the new movement. In the article, Hartlaub explained, “what we are displaying here is distinguished by the--in itself purely external--characteristics of the objectivity with which the artists express themselves." He identified two groups: the Verists, who "tear the objective form of the world of contemporary facts and projects current experience in its tempo and fevered temperature;" and the Magical Realists, who "search more for the object of timeless ability to embody the external laws of existence in the artistic sphere.” As members of a philosophical movement, proponents of Neue Sachlichkeit wanted art to serve all people--not just the wealthy, educated elite. Artists, they believed, should not create solely out of inspiration or to express their subjective, individual visions. Rather, they should create useful things that reflect an objective reality, allowing reality to speak for itself without being filtered through the artists' opinions or ideas. The Neue Sachlichkeit movement manifested itself in literature as well as painting. Authors like Egon Erwin Kisch and Alfred Doeblin were inspired by James Joyce's stream-of-consciousness style, in which events, places, and feelings are not described, simply presented by a variety of voices to be interpreted by the reader. Specifically, Berlin Alexanderplatz, by Doeblin, contains voices and thoughts of many individuals throughout Berlin, giving the reader insight into the city without actually describing it for the reader. In architecture, the Bauhaus school taught "form follows function": exactly the ideals of Neue Sachlichkeit. An architecht's job, they believed, was not to create a building that was beautiful for beauty's sake. Beauty would be inherent in a building designed to function effeciently.
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