This penetrating examination of two major themes in the Expressionist and Neue Sachlichkeit movements traces German artists' varied responses to their country's abrupt encounter with industrialization and urbanization. Few artistic movements mirror the social and political climates of their emergence as much as German Expressionism and Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity). This exhibition catalog presents a selection of important paintings, covering the period from 1907 to 1926, from one of Germany's major collections of twentieth century art.
The thirty-four paintings presented here include works by Kirchner, Nolde, Pechstein, Dix, Grosz, Schmidt-Rottluff, Heckel, and Beckmann. Arranged chronologically, and with in-depth explanatory texts, they allow readers to trace the evolution of German Expressionism as it moved from the mountains to the city, from optimism to bitter disillusionment.