What is expressionism art?

Expressionism art is a style that originated in Germany in the early 20th century. A group of German artists used this term to describe their art and its aesthetic principles. This style became the most popular in Germany after World War 1. Expressionists were also known for opposing the traditional teachings of art.

The original group of German expressionist painters was known as "The Bridge," and they asserted that the value of one's emotional experience was a measure of one's moral and artistic values.

Expressionism describes artwork where the artist has painted beyond the limitations of objective subject matter and has successfully been able to concentrate on the feeling and impact derived from the artist’s inspiration. The Expressionist artist seeks to reveal his/her inner, spiritual and emotional foundations of human existence, rather than the external, surface appearances depicted by the Impressionists. Expressionism is also presently applied to works in literature, music and cinema.

So it is considered more important that the work depicts the subjective, personal emotions accurately, rather then drawing an accurate, external presentation of reality. Despite this one, unifying motivation behind expressionism, there is no single, particular style associated with the movement.

Colors that are used in an expressionism art can be described as intense or violent. The exaggerations of colors help to display the intense emotional expression of the artist. Again Expressionists are generally trying to display the expression of an inner experience rather than a realistic portrayal, seeking to depict not objective reality but the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse in them.

When you see an expressionistic painting you should see that the style expresses an emotion “inner emotion,” of the artist. The Expressionist artist will tend to distort and/or exaggerate the appearance and coloring as they are trying to depict their inner emotions/visions.

If you would like to see a great example of an expressionistic painting, Google the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. One of the earliest and most famous examples of Expressionism is Gogh's "The Starry Night." Many artists of this period assumed that the chief function of art was to express their intense feelings to the world. A Few more great examples of artists are Edvard Munch, James Ensor, Die Brücke, Georges Rouault, Chaim Soutine, Max Beckmann, Käthe Kollwitz, and Ernst Barlach.

www.houseofcachet.com