Junge Wilde

The term Junge Wilde (German for "wild youth") was originally applied to trends within the art world,^[1] and was only later used with reference to politics. At present, the term is used by German-language journalists to describe any group within a tradition that seeks to undermine established authority.

Artistic movement

In 1978, the Junge Wilde painting style arose the German-speaking world in opposition to established Avant garde, Minimal Art and Conceptual Art. It was linked to the similar Transavantguardia movement in Italy, USA (New-Image-Painting) and France (Figuration Libre). The Junge Wilde painted their expressive paintings in bright, intense colors and with quick, broad brushstrokes. They were sometimes called the Neue Wilde (de:Neue Wilde).

Influential artists

• Austria: Siegfried Anzinger, Erwin Bohatsch, Herbert Brandl, Gunter Damisch, Hubert Scheibl, Hubert Schmalix
• Germany:
  • Berlin: Luciano Castelli, Rainer Fetting, Andreas Walther, Helmut Middendorf, Salomé, Bernd Zimmer, Elvira Bach, Peter Robert Keil
  • Cologne: Hans Peter Adamski, Peter Bömmels, Walter Dahn, Jiri Georg Dokoupil, Leiko Ikemura, Gerard Kever, Gerhard Naschberger, Volker Tannert, Elias Maria Reti, Stefan Szczesny
  • Dresden: A. R. Penck
  • Düsseldorf: Moritz Reichelt, Jörg Immendorff, Albert Oehlen, Markus Oehlen, Martin Kippenberger, Markus Lüpertz, Werner Buettner, Horst Gläsker
  • Karlsruhe: Bernd Erich Gall
• Switzerland: Martin Disler

Later usage

The term Junge Wilde began to be used by the media in the 1990s with reference to a certain group of politicians who bucked party leadership to make their names. It was first used with reference to the German CDU party (particularly against Helmut Kohl).^[2][3]

Since then the term has also been applied to members of other parties.^[4][5]

References