Neue Sachlichkeit#

New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit), art movement that appeared from ca. 1925; its name was coined by the German art historian G. F. Hartlaub. Neue Sachlichkeit shares certain features with Expressionism but shows a stronger tendency towards realism. Neue Sachlichkeit constitutes an important period in Austrian art between World War I and World War II. On the other hand it also helped pave the way for National Socialist art. Important representatives of Neue Sachlichkeit in Austria were R. Wacker, S. Pauser, F. Sedlacek, E. Nepo, H. Ploberger, W. Traeger, and the late works of A. Egger-Lienz belong to Neue Sachlichkeit.

In literature, Neue Sachlichkeit stands for a counter-movement to expressionism whose subjectivity and emotional pathos was replaced by an objective-documentary style. Reportage and critical essays (E. E. Kisch, J. Roth) came to the fore; historical novels based upon scientific sources and especially biographies in novel form (R. Neumann) became extremely popular. One representative of the neorealistic documentary novel is R. Brunngraber with his book "Karl und das 20. Jahrhundert" (Karl and the Twentieth Century, 1932). The plays of F. Bruckner and Oe. v. Horváth deal with contemporary issues. Neorealistic style also became popular through innovations such as radio plays and radio reports.

Literature#