Sachlichkeit

Sachlichkeit is a German concept broadly translated as objectivity or matter-of-factness. It denotes an approach that foregrounds verifiable facts, practical detail, and a restrained, unembellished treatment of subject matter. The term carries an emphasis on clarity and functional truth rather than Romantic or emotional flamboyance, and it often implies an intentional selection of concrete, observable details to convey social or real-world realities. The phrase is closely linked to the movement known as Neue Sachlichkeit, or New Objectivity, which shaped art, literature, and journalism in the Weimar era.

Historically, Sachlichkeit emerged in the aftermath of World War I as a reaction against Expressionism and idealized depiction. In the 1920s, Neue Sachlichkeit sought to portray contemporary life with precision and irony, using documentary-like observation to critique society, politics, and modernity. The movement spread across visual arts, literature, photography, and design, fostering a style that valued plainspoken language and straightforward representation as tools for social critique and factual reporting.

In the visual arts, key figures such as George Grosz, Otto Dix, and Christian Schad developed a pared-down, almost forensic approach to subjects—urban life, bureaucracy, and the dissonance of modernity—often with sharp lines, clear compositions, and a documentary sensibility. In literature and journalism, writers and essayists adopted concise, unornamented prose, focusing on everyday life, labor, and social issues, with Gottfried Benn and Erich Kästner among those associated with the broader Neue Sachlichkeit mindset.

Legacy of Sachlichkeit lies in its enduring influence on realism, documentary photography, and non-ornamental prose. It also faced suppression under the Nazi regime, which rejected many modernist forms; after World War II, its emphasis on factual representation continued to inform approaches in art and reporting.