Expressionism is a modernist movement that originated in Northern Europe, particularly in Germany, at the beginning of the 20th century. It can be seen as a reaction against Impressionism and academic art, as it seeks to depict not objective reality but rather the subjective emotions and responses of the artist. The main characteristics of Expressionism include:
- Subjective perspective: Expressionist artists present the world solely from a subjective point of view, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas.
- Emotional experience: The aim of Expressionist artists is to express the meaning of emotional experience rather than physical reality.
- Distortion of reality: In Expressionist art, the image of reality is often distorted in order to make it expressive of the artists inner feelings.
- Intense and non-naturalistic color: Color in Expressionist art can be highly intense and non-naturalistic, contributing to its emotional and sometimes mystical quality.
- Free and textured brushwork: Expressionist artists often employ swirling, swaying, and exaggeratedly executed brushstrokes in the depiction of their subjects.
Expressionism was a complex and vast term that has meant different things at different times. It overlapped with other major "isms" of the modernist period, such as Futurism, Vorticism, Cubism, Surrealism, and Dadaism. The movement had a significant impact on various art forms, including painting, literature, music, theatre, and architecture, and its influence can be seen in the works of artists like Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Edvard Munch, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.
