Neue Sachlichkeit: New Objectivity

Neue Sachlichkeit or “new objectivity” concentrates on a return to reality in German art. The director of the Mannheim Art Gallery, G.F. Hartlaub, created the term in 1923 as a title for his idea of a post expressionistic art exhibit. Hartlaub wanted artists in his show that were “neither impressionistically relaxed nor expressionistically abstract” (Schmalenbach). The art of Neue Sachlichkeit was not particularly revolutionary and it lacked overall cohesiveness. Furthermore, it was not singularly focused and didn’t have a particular guiding principle. It instead grew out of the need for stability after the turbulence and uneasiness of World War I. When the socialist government subdued the Nazis and Communists in 1924 the radical stylistic experiments such as Expressionism and Dadaism were replaced by the “subdued rationalism” of New Objectivity that was “grounded resolutely in the material world” (Galerie St. Etienne, New Objectivity). Hartlaub separated Neue Sachlichkeit into two categories: Left and Right. The Left side held on to some Dada influence and was more radical in style. It has been described as “contemporary and shrill” (Hartley, Romantic Spirit). The Right side was conservative and classical. It was more closely tied to romanticism and was the even more realistic side of the two branches. The two sides were both embraced by Neue Sachlichkeit because artists who fell into these categories focused on their then current situation, and the ‘here and now’. Neue Sachlichkeit was ignored in Berlin, which was Germany’s greatest metropolis at the time as it was too cool and harsh for the Nazis approval. Painters in the Neue Sachlichkeit group focused their attention again on contemporary problems, social problems, nature, and objects. It was supposed to capture the mental attitude of the post wartime and the general new thought and feeling of the German people. Neue Sachlichkeit artists rejected expressionistic utopianism and wanted to show things as they really were.

The two paintings shown below were created by artists on opposite sides of the Neue Sachlichkeit spectrum. The leftist sachlichkeit painter, Otto Dix, did the painting of the young girl in pink titled Nelly with Toys 1925. Georg Schrimpf, who is associated with the right side, is the artist of the other work, Three Children 1926. It is interesting that these two men were considered as far apart as they could be amongst the Neue Sachlichkeit group, and yet they both chose to paint and focus on the same objects: children and toys. The difference in directions of the right and left side cannot therefore be considered drastic. It is also interested to note that the young girl in the painting by Otto Dix is actually his daughter. This goes against the idea that the Neue Sachlichkeit artists refrained from painting objects they were personally attached to. This painting does hold true to the neue sachlichkeit concept of creating a claustrophobic and airless environment for the subject to be in. Otto Dix took part in the first international Dada fair in Berlin and was very revolutionary and radical politically. Earlier work done by him depicts scenes of brothels and sexual murders. These led to charges and a trial in Berlin. It is interesting how the subject of his paintings shifted in quite a dramatic way once he was married and had a child. Georg Schrimpf is quoted as saying “I do not paint before nature at all… all the experiences are to be found only within myself”. This statement can definitely be linked with the neo-romanticism that was present on the right side of neue sachlichkeit. Romanticism emphasizes individual inspiration and subjectivity. George Schrimpf can be connected to romanticism because of his belief in the primacy of the individual. 

Neue Sachlichkeit was all about depicting people and objects in a real way. Subjects were typically anonymous and impersonal and the style was usually cool while the tone was dispassionate. Artists were interested in the variations of human personality, which resulted in many portraits. In sticking with their realistic approach artists were not afraid to highlight the bleakness and ugliness of the people they were painting. For example, Rudolf Wacker’ s portrait of Rosalie Haller, an old lady with glasses that was done in 1929 is unflattering but indeed realistic. The old lady’s wrinkles are very pronounced and her right eye droops much more than her right. She has a crooked nose and because only one ear is shown at the angle she is painted, her head appears to be very unbalanced. Another example is a painting by Fritz Silberbauer of his son that was done in 1926. The painting is of a young boy who seems quite healthy but at the same time as disproportionately large ears. Neue sachlichkeit artists did not feel the need to eradicate imperfections when painting both youth and old age. In reality people are not perfect and so they felt they shouldn’t be painted as such.
By: Renny Niebuhr

Galerie St. Etienne. The New Objectivity: Realism in Weimar-Era Germany. New York: 1997.

Hartley, Keith. Hughes, Henry. Schuster, Peter. Vaughan, William. The Romantic

Spirit in German Art 1790 – 1990, Great Britain: Thames and Hudsen, 1994.

Schroder, Klaus. Neue Sachlichkeit: Osterreich 1918-1938. Wien, Kunstforum Bank Austria: 1995.

Scmalenbach, Fritz. The Term Neue Sachlichkeit. The Art Bulletin, Vol. 22, No. 3 (Sep., 1940), pp. 161-165. Published by: College Art Association. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3046704