Die Neue Sachlichkeit (The New Objectivity)

Max Beckmann - Descent from the Cross - 1917 - Oil on canvas - 59 1/2 x 50 3/4" (151.2 x 128.9 cm) - MoMA, New York (click photo for larger image)Die Neue Sachlichkeit (The New Objectivity) was an Expressionist movement founded in Germany, in the aftermath of World War I, by George Grosz (1893-1959) and Otto Dix (1891-1969). Its artwork is characterized by a realistic style combined with a cynical and socially critical philosophical stance. 

Another important participant in the movement was Max Beckmann (1884-1950) Beckmann was a medical officer during WWI—where he witnessed innumerable horrors. As an artist, he became (and remains) known for his emotional, symbolic, and expressive visual commentaries on the tumultuous times in which he lived. He drew upon a myriad of images and ideas from the entire history of art—and developed his own body of highly creative characters—to support his modern secular allegories.

In Descent from the Cross, Beckmann presents an unflinching look at bodily suffering—a timely topic in the midst of a seemingly never-ending war. The work “shows a darkened sun, symbol of utter despair. The future itself seems blacked out.” Beckman was drawn toward the "manly mysticism" of Northern Early Renaissance masters, and his style at this time was deeply influenced by their sparse, dour, hard-edged realism. Crucifixion scenes painted in the North, for example, are far more gruesome and graphic than their Italian counterparts—with the focus much more centered that the death (rather than the eventual resurrection) of Christ.

Max Beckmann - Carnival: The Artist and His Wife - 1925 - Oil on canvas - 63 x 41 in. (160 x 105.5 cm) - Kunstmuseum der Stadt, Dusseldorf (click photo for larger image)Of Carnival: The Artist and His Wife scholar Stephan Lackner has written: 

"Max and Quappi were married in September 1925. Out for an evening's entertainment, they have gone to considerable expense for preparations, and their costumes are chic and amusing. They arrive through the parting flaps of a curtain as if they were stepping onto a stage. Their faces are powdered and made up, and they obviously enjoy the masquerade. Beckmann's usually stern mien has loosened up, his expression is just on the threshold of a smile…. The artist and his wife have made up their minds ‘to belong’ and to have a good time. The viewer partakes of their good humor.” It is said that the artist’s second wife (an affluent and highly accomplished violinist—much younger than he) was able to bring some joy into a life that had long been tormented.

Artists like Grosz and Dix were never able to regain their creative footing after the Nazi persecutions. Beckmann, on the other hand, was one of those rare German painters who enjoyed a long and distinguished career—and who was able to sustain a consistent level of excellence throughout it.