New Objectivity (Photography)

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The New Objectivity is a style of photography . The imagery of Neue Sachlichkeit is characterized by a high degree of objectively cool realism on the part of the photographer towards his subject .

Origin and history

The concept of New Objectivity was coined in 1923 by GF Hartlaub , who was the director of the Mannheim Kunsthalle at the time , in the course of the conception of an exhibition (not taking place until two years later) under the title Neue Sachlichkeit. German painting since Expressionism . The New Objectivity developed out of the desire to be able to confront the artistic tendencies in photography (e.g. pictorialism ) with a stringently objective visual language.

Definition of terms and imagery

The declared aim of the New Objectivity in photography was to show things in their simplicity and beauty. For this it was necessary to keep a distance from the subject - in the sense of a very sober, reserved imagery . However, this is not about a fundamentally new representation of the object, but about the fixation of structure, form and mentality.

Meticulous work was also carried out with regard to the practical implementation of the above objectives. In contrast to the contemporary experimental approaches in photography, the works of Neue Sachlichkeit also had to convince with perfectly crafted prints and the most precise reproduction of form.

The New Objectivity definitely has a documentary character. Photography is defined as a medium that makes it possible to reproduce the exact shape of things and thus promote the inventory of objects. The photographer should be able to consistently show the reference to the subject without referring back to the author. One wishes for documentation instead of the desire for art (see New Seeing ). It seems possible to position New Objectivity close to scientific photography.

In its aesthetic approach, the New Objectivity in photography differs significantly from that in painting . While in the film language the claim of "objectivity" was attempted to achieve with aesthetic "sobriety", this realism is exclusively the goal , but not an aesthetic means - on the contrary with the representatives of painting . George Grosz describes his concern, for example, with "to cleanse the worldview from the supernatural forces, from God and the angels, in order to sharpen the human eye for his real relationship to the environment ."

Well-known photographers

The following are generally considered initiators and at the same time most frequently named photographers in connection with the New Objectivity:

criticism

Walter Benjamin denies the New Objectivity from belonging to the visual arts for the reasons mentioned above. In their conception he could not see any will to “build something artistic”. Rather, the New Objectivity would transfigure reality and, through its representation of things, give the viewer no leeway for interpretation and thus marginalize the gain in knowledge. The rendering of reality would be less able to say anything about reality than ever.

literature

  • Andreas house, Michel Frizot: style figures. The new way of seeing and photography. In: Michel Frizot (ed.). New history of photography. Könemann, Cologne 1998, ISBN 3-8290-1327-2 , pp. 457-475.
  • Herbert Molderings: Thoughts on photography of the New Objectivity and the Bauhaus. In: Ulrich Keller, Herbert Molderings, Winfried Ranke: Contributions to the history and aesthetics of photography. Anabas-Verlag, Lahn-Gießen 1977, ISBN 3-87038-044-6 , pp. 67-88.
  • Wiebke von Hinden: Ernst Fuhrmann: Photo director. The plant photographs in the Auriga archive. Tendencies critical of civilization in photography of the New Objectivity . Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main a. a. O., 2003.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Otto Kammerlohr: Epochs of Art. Volume 4: 19th and 20th centuries. 2nd expanded edition. Oldenbourg, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-486-87504-3 , p. 322.

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