© Anne Brannys 2017
T
he German term »zart« (engl. tender) derives from the middle high German verb »zarten« and means »to carefully touch« or »to draw nearer to somebody«.Today it is primarily used as an adjective encompassing a wide range of possible applications. In the jargon of art theory it describes work that appear to be modest, delicate, subtle, ephemeral or fragile. An accurate definition of its aesthetic significance is yet to be done. The dissertation »On Tenderness« tries to define tenderness as an aesthetic category of its own and describes its presence and relevance in historical and contemporary art.
