Influence of The German new objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) on contemporary painting and the leipzig school painters

New Objectivity is a less-known, less-analyzed movement in German Painting. A reason thereof is that the study of recent art history focuses rather on abstract art and abstraction, while another reason is that this was the art movement of the short-lived Weimar Republic and it vanished with the beginning of the Nazi regime. One of the main goals of this study is to draw the attention it deserves to the New Objectivity, which is considered to be an influence for canvas painting –that is once more on the agenda of the art world– and especially representational painting; and to introduce the movement together with its artists. During its history, German society has sought after the ideal of Germanism and has struggled with the issues of national unity. The combination of these social values with the expressionist characteristics of northern art have made German art passionate, fierce and effective. The presence of these characteristics can be felt even in New Objectivity which aimed to be objective and unbiased. New Objectivity / Neue Sachlichkeit has been an important reference point for the tendencies of realism –which has resurfaced again and again in twentieth century painting– and the return to figurative painting. In addition to influencing the painterly side of Pop Art and Photorealism, it also has served as a resource for other movements such as New Realism and Magical Realism. One other goal of this study is to look for the signs of the tradition of New Objectivity in the figurative and realistic approaches of the artists that belong to the Leipzig School, the popularity of whom has been increasing since the end of the 1990s. The traditional and classic painting education given at the Leipzig School and the qualities of New Objectivity overlapped without conflicts – and particularly during the 1960s and the 70s some Leipzig artists (such as Stelzmann and Hachulla) applied the principles of the New Objectivity in their works. Among the artists of the New Leipzig School, a certain objective approach shows itself (M. Weischer, T. Eitel etc.), and though indirectly, these artists feed off New Objectivity and owe a lot to its heritage. İngilizce Anahtar Kelimeler: 1- New Objectivity 2- New Leipzig School 3- Return to the Order 4- Representation 5- New Realism