Art Homework Essay Sample on Expressionism

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Introduction

Expressionism is a classic phase that developed in the 20th century. The art movement spread across Europe and has influenced a movement of creators. The artistic style in this art movement was emotional and unnatural. The artists of this movement focused on the emotions and inner feelings of the artist himself rather than the realities of the world. Many twisted images are part of this art movement that portray the artists’ feelings. Though lasted for a short period, Expressionism influenced artists, film, and literature.

Historical context

The origination of the Expressionism movement go back to the period of 1885-1900 influenced by the early work of Vincent van Gogh, James Ensor, and Edvard Munch. These artists were German Expressionists who evolved a highly expressive and personal art style. They used painting with different strokes and color to express more dramatic and emotional themes such as horror, fear or anxiety. They celebrated nature by breaking away from the literal representation to a more subjective representation of the state of mind (Furness, 2017).

Expressionism artists gave way to new standards to art. The creation of art was now coming from within the artist, rather than the external world or events happening in surrounding. Art was now depicting how artists reflected these events and how they expressed their state of mind as a response to the world affairs. The artwork of this time was judged for its quality and the character of the artist, not the composition. The 20th century Europe experienced several social changes such as urbanization, prostitution, capitalism, and technology. These changes became a major context for the artists’ feelings during that time. The Expressionist artists were seen expressing the psychological impact of these developments. Instead of the realistic impression of the world, the artists were now moving towards a psychological and emotional portrayal (Bassie, 2014).

The second wave of Expressionism started by a group of German artists who were in revolt against the Impressionism movement. The artists formed an association called ‘The Bridge’ and aimed at reinfusing German art. The group was led by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and included Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Fritz Bleyl, Emil Nolde, Max Pechstein, and Otto Muller. These German Expressionist artists developed their art style that used distorted lines, rough rapid brushwork, and vivid colours. Most of these artworks expressed fear, frustration, anxiety, violence, and visual intensity corresponding to the emotionally charged atmosphere. Expressionism stayed till after the World War I and became a dominant art style in Germany as a response to the postwar atmosphere. The qualities of the Expressionism movement were also later seen in other art movements of the 20th century including Abstract Expressionism and Neo-Expressionism (Price, 2020).

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Key characteristics of the art style

The key art features of the Expressionism movement were rough, rigid, swirling and swaying brush strokes. These were meant to portray the rigid emotions that the artists were going through. The colors were bold and vivid, which also represented the fear and anxieties of the social changes and developments of the modern world. The distorted lines and angles were a depiction of social criticism. Many art works of this time represented the modern city showing alienated individuals, corresponding to the psychological impact of urbanization and capitalism (Bassie, 2014).

Examples of famous works

1. The Scream by Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch was one of the pioneers of the Expressionism art movement. ‘The Scream’ is Munch’s most famous painting from 1893 representing a fearful individual in a distorted surrounding. It shows a disturbing and anxious individual on a bridge looking as the sky turns red as blood. The theme of the painting is alienation of the individual and anxiousness that is shown by the scream – both common styles of the Expressionist movement.

2. Large Blue Horses by Franz Marc

This painting from 1911 by Franz Marc uses animal symbolism. The artist is known for a series of works based on the theme of horses, which represented spiritual renewal. The horses, that are painted in bright colors and geometric angles, represent a shift from realistic objects to spiritual and emotional themes. Marc used color and animal symbolism to express his emotions.

3. Houses at Night by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff was a German Expressionist artist from ‘The Bridges’ group. His painting Houses at Night, painted in 1912, showed a city block with houses next to one another in distorted angles alongside an empty street. The houses represent urbanization and the empty street represent alienation that came with it. The painting uses bright and bold colors, that were major themes of the Expressionist art style.

4. Der Blaue Reiter by Wassily Kandinsky

This painting was made by Wassily Kandinsky in 1903 representing a lone rider racing across a landscape. The landscape shows contrasts of light and dark colors and stillness and movement in objects, which represents a link between the Post-Impressionism movement to the beginning of the Expressionist movement.

Impact and legacy

Artists and artworks from the Expressionism movement remain relevant even today. They impacted the world of art and influenced Expressionist architecture, film, and literature. The movement provided artists a way to express emotions and speak up about social issues. Expressionism continued to have an impact on modern art with its focus on bright, vivid colors, representing powerful emotions and a distorted reality through heavy, rough brushstrokes. Expressionism also expanded beyond Europe to the United States, Canada, and Japan in the 20th century. Abstract Expressionism and Neo-Expressionism are sub-genres that emerged under the influence of Expressionism movement. The art style of this movement stayed relevant in the post-World War II era when artists from USA such as Louise Bourgeois and Jackson Pollock brought the emotional intensity to their canvases. Expressionism art movement also influenced movements like Surrealism and Futurism.

References

1. Furness, R. (2017). Expressionism (Vol. 28). Taylor & Francis.
2. Price, D. (2020). German Expressionism: Der Blaue Reiter and its legacies. Manchester University Press
3. Bassie, A. (2014). Expressionism. Parkstone International
4. Munch, Edvard. The Scream. 1893. National Museum, Oslo
5. Kandinsky, Wassily. Der Blaue Reiter. 1903. Private Collection
6. Schmidt-Rottluff, Karl. Houses at Night. 1912. The Museum of Modern Art, New York
7. Marc, Franz. Large Blue Horses. 1911. Walker Art Center, Minneapolis