Neo-expressionism

Broadly used, this may refer to all expressionist art since the original movement known as Expressionism arose in Germany between 1905 and 1925. Abstract Expressionism is an example of a movement which may be referred to as neo-expressionist. Neo-expressionist art stems from Wassily Kandinsky (Russian-German, 1866-1944), its antithesis from the Neo-Plasticism of Piet Mondrian (Dutch, 1872-1944). Used more narrowly, this term sometimes refers specifically to the primarily German and Italian expressionist art revival of the 1970s and early 1980s. Rejecting both conceptual and minimalist modes, these neo-expressionists returned to gestural, figurative painting. Often steeped in the German history, paintings by A.R.Penck (1939-) and Anselm Kiefer (1945-) are full of symbolism referring to issues repressed by Germans.Examples:Georg Baselitz (German, 1938-), Rebel, 1965, oil on canvas, 162.7 x 130.2 cm, Tate Modern, London. This is Baselitz's depiction of the wounded anti-hero of today. See German art.Georg Baselitz, Male Nude, 1975, oil and charcoal on canvas, 78 3/4 x 63 3/4 inches (200 x 161.9 cm), North Carolina Art Museum, Raleigh. Baselitz paints subjects inverted in order to emphasize his painting's abstract qualities. He has said, "An object painted upside down is suitable for painting because it is unsuitable as an object." See nude and object.Georg Baselitz, Untitled, 1982-3, painted wood (lime), 250.0 x 73.0 x 59.0 cm, Tate Modern, London. The rough surfaces of earlier German Expressionism can be seen in this partially chainsawed sculpture carved from a tree trunk.