Understand Expressionism: The ultimate art guide for beginners

Expressionism shaped German art history like no other current . This groundbreaking art movement culminated in Germany from 1905 to 1925, after the first expressionist works were created in France around 1890.

While the term comes from the Latin "Expressio" (expression), the expressionist art aims to present more than just. Artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc and August Macke triggered a revolution in an artistic expression that brought inner feelings to the screen.

In this guide for beginners you will learn everything you need to know about Expressionism. You will learn more about the decisive characteristics of its history and long -term effects on modern art. Find out how this groundbreaking art movement has changed our view of art sustainably.

What is Expressionism?

The search for a new form of expression in art at the beginning of the 20th century led to the development of a fascinating art flow. Expressionism developed as a counter -movement to the prevailing artistic traditions and changed the art landscape sustainably.

Definition and origin of the term

The term  expressionism  is derived from the Latin word "Expressio" or "Exprimere", which means "express". Accordingly, this art movement can be understood as "art of increased emotional expression". The first beginnings and forerunners of Expressionism can be found in the late 19th century.

As an art -historical term, however, the expression "Expressionism" was only shaped by Kurt Hiller to describe the era, which officially  lasted from around 1905 to 1925. Although Expressionism initially emerged in France, it developed particularly strongly in Germany. The movement also spread in other parts of the world and influenced various artistic areas such as painting, literature, theater, cinema, architecture and music.

Expressionism developed primarily as a reaction to several social factors:  increasing industrialization , growing materialism and the associated alienation of man. In addition, expressionist art was directed against the bourgeoisie of the German Empire and later also against the First World War. The artists felt that contemporary culture distanced itself from the deepest human emotions and were looking for a new form of expression.

Like impressionism , symbolism and fauvism, Expressionism consciously opposed the tendencies of naturalism . While naturalism tried to objectively map reality, the Expressionists were concerned with something completely different.

Why the focus is on the expression

At the center of Expressionism is not the representation of the external reality, but the conveying of internal truths and experiences. In other words, the light stimuli is not shown how they fall on the eye, but rather internally seen truths and experiences.

The basic concept of this art movement is therefore the emphasis on subjectivity and emotion. Expressionist art is characterized by the following characteristics:

• The  subjective and emotional expression  is the focus.
• The  expressive level predominates  compared to the aesthetic, appellative and factual level.
• The artist wants to present his  personal experience  for the viewer directly.
• Feelings such as joy, pain or fear are transferred directly to the screen.

It was crucial for the Expressionists to express their feelings, fears, fears and wishes through their works. They tried to present the reality by a subjective lens by distorting shapes, colors and perspectives in order to convey intense and sometimes worrying sensations.

The characteristic means of expression included the "aggressive deformation" of shapes and figures, the uncultivated, archaic and "wild" , but also the travesty and parody of the "raised" while at the same time heroization of the banal. In addition, there is a penchant for constructed, typing and metaphorization in Expressionism.

This shows a certain will to destructure, which opposes a bourgeoisie of the Wilhelmine era, which is perceived as decadent, as well as against the genesthetic of impressionism and Art Nouveau. The expressionist artists refused against "enthusiasticization" through industrialization and warned of a society regardless and morality.

In summary, it can be said that Expressionism was an art movement that focused on the inner world of the artist and wanted to move the viewer through an increased emotional expression. This was a radical departure from the mere mapping of the external reality.

Typical features of Expressionism

The visual power of Expressionism unfolds through unique artistic elements that make this art movement unmistakable. At first glance, expressionist works of art reveal an intensive emotional expressiveness that appeals to the viewer directly.

Color choice and design language

Expressionist art is particularly characterized by its strong and expressive color palette. The artists used intense, bright colors, which are often unmixed and in strong contrasts. This choice of colors did not serve the natural representation, but rather the emotional expression. Complementary colors were often used that face each other in the color circuit to increase intensity.

The formal language of Expressionism is shaped by:

• Distorted and exaggerated forms that emphasize the emotional dimension
• Simplified, often angular or geometric elements
• Dissolution of the classic perspective and spatial representation
• Areasy compositions with strong contours

The expressionist artists also developed a striking brush tour with energetic, spontaneous strokes. These gestural brush strokes convey movement and emotional intensity. They also reduced their image motifs to striking form elements and deliberately dissolved the traditional perspective, which resulted in an independent abstract interpretation of reality.

Subjectivity and emotional effect

At the center of Expressionism is the subjective perception of the artist. Unlike naturalism, it was not about the representation of an objective reality, but about the conveying of personal sensations and inner conditions. The expressionists sought to transfer their feelings directly to the screen and trigger strong emotional reactions from the viewer.

The emotional effect was reinforced by several factors:

The artists often chose topics such as fear, loneliness, despair or the suffering of modern humans. Especially the experiences in the big city with its anonymity and alienation were often discussed. Existential questions, illness, decay and death also found their way into expressionist art.

Subjectivity as an artistic principle enabled the Expressionists to create a personal truth that goes beyond the mere reproduction of the visible. This created an art that faces the viewer and invites you to experience inner experience.

Differences to naturalism and impressionism

Although Expressionism and Impressionism are a counter -movement to naturalism, these artifications differ fundamentally:

In contrast to  naturalism , which wanted to represent social reality as objectively and in detail as possible, Expressionism put the subjective interpretation and emotional intensity in the foreground. While naturalistic artists used a factual language and represented deterministic ideas, expressionists relied on emotional distortion and personal expression.

Impressionism  ,  on the other hand, focused on fleeting sensory impressions, moods and snapshots. However, he remained with a natural representation and tried to capture light reflections and atmospheric effects. The Expressionists went much further in abstraction and distortion, experimented more with shapes and colors and provided the interior experience over the external appearance.

While impressionist works are often considered dreamy or poetic and offer a detailed representation of feelings and impressions, expressionist work has an intense, angular and confrontational effect. Expressionism is more likely to be more keen to experiment in its departure of traditional forms of representation.

Important artists and works

The groundbreaking ideas of Expressionism found their most powerful implementation by two influential groups of artists and several visionary individual artists who significantly shaped German Expressionism.

The bridge and the blue rider

The artist group  "Die Brücke"  was founded in Dresden in 1905 by four architectural students: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Fritz Bleyl . Later Max Pechstein and Otto Mueller joined them.

All founding members were autodid acts, with the exception of Pechstein, who had enjoyed academic training. They strived for "arm and freedom of life" and a common group style.

The  bridge artists  preferred intensive colors and simplified forms. Her recurring motifs included:

• Man in motion and in nature
• Files and bathers (often on the Moritzburg ponds or the Baltic Sea)
• Circus, variety and urban life in the big city

 , "The Blue Rider"  formed in Munich in 1911 led by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc . This circle also included August Macke, Paul Klee, Gabriele Münter and Alexej von Jawlensky. Unlike the bridge, they pursued a more spiritual, abstract approach. While the bridge artists worked socially critically, the blue rider focused on the spiritual aspect of art.

In particular, Kandinsky and Marc sought to achieve spiritual transcendence through color and form. This philosophical depth distinguishes the blue rider from the bridge artists who were more expressive and direct in their visual language.

Well -known paintings of Expressionism

The outstanding works of Expressionism include several iconic paintings that still shape the perception of this art movement. The following iconic paintings are particularly remarkable:

Edvard Munch's   "The Scream" (1893) is considered the first expressionist work, although it was created before the actual expressionist period. With its wavy lines and the distorted figure, it conveys a feeling of extreme fear.

Wassily Kandinsky has influential abstract works such as  "composition VIII"  and  "yellow-red-blue" , which embody his theory about the spiritual power of colors.  "Blue Horse I"  and  "The Red Horses",  Franz Marc created urgent animal representations in bright, unnatural colors.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's cityscapes such as  "Straße, Berlin"  (1913) capture the hectic city life with angular shapes and intense colors. August Macke, on the other hand, created light works such as  "Sonnier Weg"  and  "Lady in a Green Jacket" .

Influence of Munch, van Gogh and Gauguin

Three artists had a decisive influence on the development of German Expressionism: Edvard Munch , Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin .

Edvard Munch, whose "soul painting" worked with distorted shapes and intense colors, particularly influenced the bridge artists. His woodcuts have been shown to inspire Kirchner's graphic work.

Vincent van Gogh became the "decisive mediator" for the German Expressionists. The bridge artists impressed his powerful brush strokes and emotional coloring in such a way that Emil Nolde jokingly suggested to them to call himself "van Goghiana" instead of "bridge". The Brücke members were able  50 paintings van Goghs  .

Paul Gauguin, whose works were exhibited in Dresden in 1906, inspired with his simplified, flat shapes and intense colors. His imaginary South Sea scenes with their reduced design language provided decisive impulses for expressionist image design.

These three pioneers have in common that they do not understand art as an image of the external reality, but as a medium for emotional expression. As a result, they laid the foundation for the expressionist revolution in German art.

This is how you recognize an expressionistic work of art

Recognizing an expressionist work of art requires a trained look for certain visual features. Expressionist paintings often speak directly to the viewers and trigger strong emotional reactions.

What you should pay attention to when looking at

When looking at a potentially expressionist work, you should first pay attention to the  coloring  . Expressionist artists often use bright, bright and high -contrast colors that do not correspond to reality. These colors often have symbolic meaning - red can stand for anger or passion, blue for melancholy and green for fear or restlessness.

 distorted shapes and figures are also particularly striking . Instead of creating naturalistic representations, expressionist artists focused on exaggerated and simplified forms to visualize internal conditions. The traditional perspective is dissolved and the compositions appear space -like.

In addition, the  brush management  a lot about the expressionist character of a work. Pay attention to spontaneous, energetic and rough brush strokes, convey movement and immediacy. The brushcotion often looks wild and dynamic, which gives the pictures a special liveliness.

 emotional intensity  is also crucial . Expressionist art addresses the viewer on a deep, personal level and reflects the internal struggle and emotions of the artist.

Examples of typical motifs and style elements

The frequent motifs of Expressionism include:

• City scenes : Especially the hectic city life as a symbol of the unrest and alienation in modern society
• Landscapes : often shown in unnatural colors to establish an emotional connection between humans and nature
• Figurative representations : people on the move, acts or self -portraits
• Existential topics : death, transience, fear and isolation

A well -known example is Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's “The Straße” (1913), which stands for his representation of the hectic city. Also in Edvard Munch's "The Cry" typical expressionist features can be seen - wave -shaped lines and a distorted figure that convey extreme fear.

In fact, Expressionism is less characterized by a concrete style than by an inner attitude of the artists. However, they have together to strive for an individual form of expression and the desire to express their emotions about art and to present how the world feels for them.

Expressionism today: Why it is still relevant

Despite its relatively short heyday between 1905 and 1925, Expressionism has left deep traces in the art world to this day. Although his popularity in Germany decreased around 1920, he was able to impulses for the further development of art.

Influence on modern art and pop culture

Expressionism continues to live in various art forms.  neo-expressionism developed in Germany , which took up central ideas of expressionism and called for a return to personal and symbolic visual language. At the same time, the Viennese actionists with radical performances entered the footsteps of Austrian expressionists.

Expressionist ideas also spread beyond the Atlantic - initially as an American figurative expressionism in Boston and later from the mid -1940s as  an abstract expressionism  in New York. The latter has continuously developed over the past 70 years and is now one of the most sought -after styles of the international art scene.

Nowadays there are expressionist techniques in numerous creative areas:

• In film and theater to produce emotional intensity
• In architecture with dramatic and organic forms
• In graphic design and pop culture

It is noteworthy that Expressionism is less a concrete style than an inner attitude that also inspires modern artists directly to express personal emotions directly.

Exhibitions and museums in Germany

Throughout Germany there are outstanding collections of expressionist art. The  Brücke Museum Berlin,  , houses the world's largest contiguous collection of works by Bridge artists. The foundation goes back to Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, who laid the foundation for the collection in 1964 with a donation to the state of Berlin.

 municipal gallery in the Lenbachhaus  is no less important , which has the world's most comprehensive collection of the artists of the Blue Rider. Together with the Buchheim Museum of Fantasy , the Franz Marc Museum , the Museum Murnau and the Penzberg Museum, it forms the  museum landscape Expressionism  -a network that offers a unique connection between natural enjoyment and art experience.

 Museum Folkwang  dedicates special attention to Expressionism. After the expressionist works were defamed and confiscated during the Nazi era as "degenerate", the museum began again in the late 1940s with express exhibitions. By purchases, donations and foundations, an outstanding collection of expressionist art grew again in the following decades.

conclusion

Expressionism is a milestone of German art history, the influence of which extends far beyond its original era. This revolutionary art movement broke radically with traditional forms of representation and set new standards for artistic expression.

In fact, the characteristic characteristics of expressionism - intense colors, distorted forms and emotional immediacy - still shape contemporary art forms today. The pioneering works of the artists' groups "Die Brücke" and "The Blue Rider" inspire the following generations to present personal feelings directly and unadulterated.

Nevertheless, the importance of expressionism goes beyond purely artistic aspects. His socially critical attitude and the courage to radical subjectivity remain relevant to modern viewers. Germany's rich museum landscape, especially the Brücke Museum Berlin and the municipal gallery in the Lenbachhaus Munich, preserves this significant cultural heritage.

Finally, the lasting power of expressionism shows that its basic principles - authentic emotional expression and artistic freedom - have lost none of their validity even after over a hundred years. This art -historical movement teaches us that true artistic innovation arises from the courage to cross established borders and to find new ways of expression.

Faqs

What are the main characteristics of Expressionism in art?

The most concise features of Expressionism are intense, bright colors, distorted shapes, emotional expressiveness and a subjective representation of reality. Expressionist artists sought to transfer inner feelings and experiences directly to the screen.

Which famous groups of artists shaped German Expressionism?

Two influential groups of artists significantly shaped German expressionism: "The Bridge", founded in Dresden in 1905, and "The Blue Rider", which formed in Munich in 1911. Both groups developed different approaches within the expressionist movement.

How does expressionism differ from impressionism?

While impressionism captures fleeting sensory impressions and snapshots, Expressionism focuses on the representation of internal feelings and subjective perceptions. Expressionist works are often abstract, more intense in the coloring and radical in distortion of shapes as impressionist paintings.

What topics treated Expressionist artists often?

Expressionist artists often took up existential issues such as fear, loneliness, death and the alienation of modern humans. City scenes, landscapes in unnatural colors, figurative representations and acts were also popular motifs in expressionist art.

Where can you see significant expressionist works of art in Germany today? 

Important collections can be found in the Brücke Museum Berlin, in the municipal gallery in the Lenbachhaus in Munich and in the Museum Folkwang in Essen. These museums accommodate extensive collections of works by the artist groups "Die Brücke" and "The Blue Rider" and other important expressionist artists.