The term Junge Wilde (German for "young wild ones") was originally applied to trends within the art world, 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 in the German-speaking world in opposition to established avant garde, minimal art and conceptual art. It was linked to the similar Transavanguardia movement in Italy, the US (neo-expressionism) and France (Figuration Libre). The Junge Wilde artists painted their expressive paintings in bright, intense colors and with quick, broad brushstrokes, influenced by a professor at the Academy of Arts, Berlin, Karl Horst Hödicke (b. 1938). They were sometimes called .
Influential artists Austria: , , Herbert Brandl, , , Hubert Schmalix, Denmark: Berit Heggenhougen-Jensen, Nina Sten-Knudsen Germany: Berlin: Luciano Castelli, Rainer Fetting, Andreas Walther, , Salomé, , Elvira Bach, Peter Robert Keil Cologne: , , Walter Dahn, Jiri Georg Dokoupil, Leiko Ikemura, , , , Elias Maria Reti, Stefan Szczesny Dresden: A. R. Penck Düsseldorf: , Jörg Immendorff, Albert Oehlen, Markus Oehlen, Martin Kippenberger, Markus Lüpertz, , Horst Gläsker, Peter Angermann Karlsruhe: Bernd Erich Gall Switzerland: Martin Disler Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Cesare Oliva
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).
Since then the term has also been applied to members of other parties.
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