Expressionism

What is the best description of Expressionism?

Expressionism, artistic style in which the artist seeks to depict not objective reality but rather the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse within a person.

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Expressionism is an artistic style that emerged in early 20th-century Germany. Artists working in this style seek to depict subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse within a person. They distort the reality of their subjects in order to “express” their own emotions, feelings, and ideas.

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Expressionism
artistic style
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Last Updated: Oct 22, 2024 • Article History
Related Artists: Vincent van Gogh Oskar Kokoschka Edvard Munch August Strindberg Alban Berg
On the Web: International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews - The Rise of Expressionism: When Literature Meets Art in History (Oct. 22, 2024)

Expressionism, artistic style in which the artist seeks to depict not objective reality but rather the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse within a person. The artist accomplishes this aim through distortion,

Exaggeration, primitivism, and fantasy and through the vivid, jarring, violent,


or dynamic application of formal elements. In a broader sense Expressionism is one of the main currents of art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and its qualities of highly subjective, personal, spontaneous self-expression are typical of a wide range of modern artists and art movements. Expressionism can also be seen as a permanent tendency in Germanic and Nordic art from at least the European Middle Ages, particularly in times of social change or spiritual crisis, and in this sense it forms the converse of the rationalist and classicizing tendencies of Italy and later of France.


Edvard Munch's The Scream, explained
Edvard Munch's The Scream, explained
The Scream is one of the most familiar images in modern art.
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More specifically, Expressionism as a distinct style or movement refers to a number of German artists, as well as Austrian, French, and Russian ones, who became active in the years before World War I and remained so throughout much of the interwar period.

Birth and development
Vincent van Gogh: The Starry Night
Vincent van Gogh: The Starry NightThe Starry Night, oil on canvas by Vincent van Gogh, 1889; in the Museum of Modern Art, New York City.

The roots of the German Expressionist school lay in the works of Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch, and James Ensor, each of whom in the period 1885–1900 evolved a highly personal painting style. These artists used the expressive possibilities of colour and line to explore dramatic and emotion-laden themes, to convey the qualities of fear, horror, and the grotesque, or simply to celebrate nature with hallucinatory intensity. They broke away from the literal representation of nature in order to express more subjective outlooks or states of mind.


Emil Nolde: Dance Around the Golden Calf
Emil Nolde: Dance Around the Golden CalfDance Around the Golden Calf, oil painting by Emil Nolde, 1910; in the Bayerische Staatsgemaldesammlungen, Munich.


The second and principal wave of Expressionism began about 1905, when a group of German artists led by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner formed a loose association called Die Br;cke (“The Bridge”). The group included Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and Fritz Bleyl. These painters were in revolt against what they saw as the superficial naturalism of academic Impressionism. They wanted to reinfuse German art with a spiritual vigour they felt it lacked, and they sought to do this through an elemental, highly personal and spontaneous expression. Die Br;cke’s original members were soon joined by the Germans Emil Nolde, Max Pechstein, and Otto M;ller. The Expressionists were influenced by their predecessors of the 1890s and were also interested in African wood carvings and the works of such Northern European medieval and Renaissance artists as Albrecht D;rer, Matthias Gr;newald, and Albrecht Altdorfer. They were also aware of Neo-Impressionism, Fauvism, and other recent movements.

Max Pechstein: Indian and Woman
Max Pechstein: Indian and WomanIndian and Woman, oil on canvas by Max Pechstein, 1910; in the Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri.

The German Expressionists soon developed a style notable for its harshness, boldness, and visual intensity. They used jagged, distorted lines; rough, rapid brushwork; and jarring colours to depict urban street scenes and other contemporary subjects in crowded, agitated compositions notable for their instability and their emotionally charged atmosphere. Many of their works express frustration, anxiety, disgust, discontent, violence, and generally a sort of frenetic intensity of feeling in response to the ugliness, the crude banality, and the possibilities and contradictions that they discerned in modern life. Woodcuts, with their thick jagged lined and harsh tonal contrasts, were one of the favourite media of the German Expressionists.


Color pastels, colored chalk, colorful chalk. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, history and society
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Egon Schiele: Prone Young Woman with Black Stocking
Egon Schiele: Prone Young Woman with Black StockingProne Young Woman with Black Stocking, gouache, watercolour, and pencil on paper by Egon Schiele, 1913. 30.8 cm ; 48.4 cm.

The works of Die Br;cke artists stimulated Expressionism in other parts of Europe. Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele of Austria adopted their tortured brushwork and angular lines, and Georges Rouault and Chaim Soutine in France each developed painting styles marked by intense emotional expression and the violent distortion of figural subject matter. The painter Max Beckmann, the graphic artist K;the Kollwitz, and the sculptors Ernst Barlach and Wilhelm Lehmbruck, all of Germany, also worked in Expressionist modes. The artists belonging to the group known as Der Blaue Reiter (“The Blue Rider”) are sometimes regarded as Expressionists, although their art is generally lyrical and abstract, less overtly emotional, more harmonious, and more concerned with formal and pictorial problems than that of Die Br;cke artists.

Chaim Soutine: Side of Beef
Chaim Soutine: Side of BeefSide of Beef, oil on canvas by Chaim Soutine, c. 1925; in the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo.

Expressionism was a dominant style in Germany in the years immediately following World War I, where it suited the postwar atmosphere of cynicism, alienation, and disillusionment. Some of the movement’s later practitioners, such as George Grosz and Otto Dix, developed a more pointed, socially critical blend of Expressionism and realism known as the Neue Sachlichkeit (“New Objectivity”). As can be seen from such labels as Abstract Expressionism and Neo-Expressionism, the spontaneous, instinctive, and highly emotional qualities of Expressionism have been shared by several subsequent art movements in the 20th century.

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Expressionism: Art the Nazis Tried to Silence

Leap Art
Nov 13, 2024
Expressionism defied conventions with raw emotion and intensity, capturing the struggles of the human psyche amidst a world of chaos and censorship.
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BOOKS ON THE EXPRESSIONIST MOVEMENT:
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German Expressionist Woodcuts. Buy on Amazon ;;   https://amzn.to/4fqLITw

This book features over 100 woodcuts by nearly 30 major German Expressionist artists, showcasing the bold graphics and emotional intensity of the early 20th-century movement. With informative captions and artist notes, it serves as an excellent reference for enthusiasts of woodcut art and German Expressionism.
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German Expressionism: Paintings at the Saint Louis Art Museum Buy on Amazon ;; https://amzn.to/3Z34QBl

This book is the first to showcase the Saint Louis Art Museum's renowned collection of German Expressionist paintings. It features major works by leading artists and rarely seen pieces by lesser-known figures. The book provides engaging entries that explore the histories of these paintings—from their creation to their journey to St. Louis—and offers new insights into this pivotal era of modern art, including how a significant influx of Expressionist art entered the United States during World War II.
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Concerning the Spiritual in Art: Wassily Kandinsky Buy on Amazon ;; https://amzn.to/4espCPe

This book presents Wassily Kandinsky's influential work Concerning the Spiritual in Art, where he advocates for a spiritual revolution in painting. Kandinsky urges artists to move beyond material reality and express their inner lives through abstract forms and colors. Exploring art's connection to the soul and its emotional impact, this seminal work is a landmark in modern art history and essential reading for artists and art lovers.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6k3KZuC8Ig
Expressionism: Art and Artists // Art History Video


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Exploring the Mind of Edvard Munch; a Journey into Angst and Expressionism - Art History School

Art History School
  Jun 3, 2019  UK
Edvard Munch biography: This video discusses the life and times of the Norwegian expressionist artist Edvard Munch. Death, love and angst are prominent themes he explored through out his life. The famous artist Edvard Munch was born in Loten in Norway, but lost his mother and sister at a young age.
Edvard Munch is perhaps most famous for his paintings, The Scream,  Death in the Sick Room, but his series of paintings, The Frieze of Life contains many remarkable paintings such as the Dance of Life. Munch suffered from bouts of mental illness and alcoholism, both issues are often reflected in his work. He also did a series of paintings for Oslo University, in Norway and for the Freia Chocolate Factory also in Oslo. The latter years of his life were spent in his estate at Ekely, Norway painting many self portraits which explored the effects of old age. Edvard Munch died in 1944 at the age of 80.

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Distorted forms of expressionism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zkhx9B3NfM

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Understanding the styles of art: Expressionism

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Painting from the hip


The phrase "shooting from the hip" means to speak or act recklessly or impulsively, without careful consideration1. The expression originates from the idea of firing a gun from the hip, which is less precise and more approximate than aiming from the shoulder2.
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SHOOT FROM THE HIP | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
Learn the meaning of shoot from the hip, an idiom that can mean speaking directly and honestly, or reacting quickly without thinking. See examples, synonyms, and translations in different languages.

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Learn the meaning and usage of the phrase "shoot from the hip", which means to speak or act rashly or impulsively, without considering the consequences. See examples, synonyms, and …

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What does it mean when someone shoots from the hip?
If you say that someone shoots from the hip, you mean that they react to situations or give their opinion very quickly, without stopping to think. Judges don't have to shoot from the hip. They have the leisure to think and decide.
To shoot from the hip to fire from the hip definition and meaning

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What does'shoot from the hip' mean?
It often implies making quick decisions or comments without thinking them through. Origin: The idiom 'shoot from the hip' originates from the Old West in America, where cowboys would draw and fire their guns swiftly from the hip without aiming. This method was less accurate but much faster, highlighting the idea of acting quickly without precision.
Shoot from the hip - Meaning, Origin, and Examples - SpeakFluently

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Why did a girl say he did not shoot from the hip?
They criticized his readiness to shoot from the hip. She claimed that she did not shoot from the hip. She liked to think hard and long before taking decisions. Note: You can also say that someone fires from the hip with the same meaning.
Shot from the hip - Idioms by The Free Dictionary

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What does the idiom 'shoot from the hip' mean?
The idiom 'shoot from the hip' means to speak or act bluntly or rashly, without deliberation or prudence. For example, diplomats are trained to conduct themselves with discretion, and not to shoot from the hip.
hip - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

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Why does a lawyer shoot from the hip?
The lawyer shot from the hip with her objections, catching everyone off guard. In heated debates, politicians often shoot from the hip, leading to controversial statements. She shot from the hip when asked about her plans, revealing more than she intended. His habit of shooting from the hip makes him unpredictable in negotiations.
Shoot from the hip - Meaning, Origin, and Examples - SpeakFluently

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;;;;… Need a translator? Get a quick, free translation! SHOOT FROM THE HIP definition: 1. to speak in a very direct and honest way: 2. to react quickly, without thinking carefully about…. Learn more.
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Learn the various meanings and uses of the word shoot as a verb, noun, and interjection. Find out the origin, synonyms, and phrases of shoot, including shoot from the hip.

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Definition of 'to shoot from the hip' - Collins Online Dictionary
If you say that someone shoots from the hip, you mean that they react to situations or give their opinion very quickly, without stopping to think. Judges don't have to shoot from the hip. They …

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Shooting from the hip - Idioms by The Free Dictionary
Learn the meaning and usage of the phrase "shooting from the hip", which means to speak or act rashly or impulsively, without considering the consequences. See examples, synonyms, related …

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Definition of 'shoot from the hip' - Collins Online Dictionary
or fire from the hip to give your opinion or react to situations very quickly, without stopping to think it through properly She specifically declared that she did not shoot from the hip.

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Shot from the hip - Idioms by The Free Dictionary
Learn the meaning and usage of the phrase "shoot from the hip", which means to speak or act rashly or impulsively, without considering the consequences. See examples, synonyms, and …

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shoot-from-the-hip adjective - Oxford English Dictionary
What does the adjective shoot-from-the-hip mean? There is one meaning in OED's entry for the adjective shoot-from-the-hip . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

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shoot from the hip | meaning of shoot from the hip in Longman ...
shoot from the hip meaning, definition, what is shoot from the hip: to say what you think in a direct way, o...: Learn more.

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Shoot from the hip - Meaning, Origin, and Examples - SpeakFluently
Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom 'shoot from the hip', which means to act or speak impulsively without careful consideration or planning. See how to use this phrase with …