Cultural Identity Of The German Neo-expressionist Painting

This article discusses the cultural identity of German New Expressionism. Cultural identity is the characteristics presented by a nation in a multi-cultured background. There is a little difference between cultural identity and nationality. The latter is formed in history unconsciously, and the former is to a certain degree created actively. To understand this kind of artist phenomenon, this article analyzed the influence of the Second War to German, the historian situation of artists', above all the expansion of American culture and art. By the influence and expansion of American culture, the German culture is going to fall into the danger of losing its independence. But the racism of Nazi made the German dare not to face the history and culture themselves. Thus, in order to conform their cultural identity. German artists must keep a distance to American art represented by Abstract Expressionism, and adopt a correct attitude towards the historian traditions themselves. In theses accepts, Joseph Beuys set an example. The second part of this article deals with how the cultural identity was represented in German New Expressionism, including adopting figural language, responding to German historian, cultural, and political problems, and using motives from German history and myth, etc. In the conclusion, the complexity of cultural identity represented by German New Expressionism was analyzed briefly.