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The major current of Post-Expressionist
art that is characterized by the label
Neue Sachlichkeit (translated as New
Objectivity, New Sobriety or New
Matter-of-Factness) became increasingly
moderate in the economically stable period
after 1925. Ultimately by the end of the
1920s, Neue Sachlichkeit came to describe
a superficial art, more on the level of
reportage than an artistic program. On the
other hand Franz Roh's term "Magic
Realism", as defined in his book of 1925,
identified seven different directions in
which Post-Expressionism was developing.
These included the Verists, the
Neo-classicists, Metaphysical art and
"Rousseau school". In the latter group he
mentioned work by Auguste Herbin, Joan
Miro and Walter Spies. It should also be
noted that in 1923 Roh wrote an essay
about Rousseau's The Sleeping Gypsy,
and that he featured this painting on the
cover of his 1925 publication
Nach-Expressismus: Magischer Realismus.
While it seems evident that many German
artists of the Weimar years were
preoccupied with the cultural, social and
political
developments of their times, a number of
artists in neighboring countries avoided
the prosaic outlook while exploring
imaginative subcurrents. Individual works
by the artists in this category may belong to the
symbolist, surrealistic or fantastic genres, while
also fitting many of the criteria of Magic
Realism. As an example, Paul Delvaux's Le
Temple exhibits traits from many of the
main types of Magic Realism
identified in this article.
Artistic dreams can be idyllic, quixotic,
fanciful, phantasmagoric or nightmarish.
As far back as the Middle Ages artists
have brought forth visionary works that
fascinate as well as horrify. In 20th
Century art three main branches of
imaginative painting developed, these
being Magic Realism, Surrealism and
Fantastic Realism. The exact boundaries
between these three types of art are
sometimes difficult to determine and have
sometimes been the subject of intense
discussion. However, one test for Magic
Realism as it relates to Surrealism was
proposed by the artist Pyke Koch, who
stated "Magic Realism is based on the
representation of what is possible, but
not probable". |
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