EXPRESSIONIST ART
Expressionist art can be found all the way back to the start of the 20th century, however perhaps the most definitive period of expressionist art started in 1910 in Germany. Expressionist art was focused on the emotion that a piece conveyed rather than accurately portraying a scene. In a time where cameras could be used to record images and scenes artist were driven more to capture emotion.
In order clearly depict emotions in their artworks, expressionists would manipulate artistic elements like colour, shape, line, texture, form and the like. Exaggeration and unnatural colour choices were common techniques used by expressionist artist to express emotion in their art. Edvard Munch, a member of the expressionist group Die Brucke, famously said “No longer shall I paint interiors with men reading and women knitting. I will paint living people who breathe and feel and suffer and love.” This quote quite clearly sums up the purpose of the expressionist movement.
The Scream by Edvard Munch is arguably the most popular expressionist painting. You can clearly see just by looking at the image that almost all of the artist elements like line, colour and form have been manipulated. The warm colours in the sky as well as the exaggerated form of the face creates a feeling of anxiety which is communicated to the viewer. The purpose of the artwork was to communicate Munch’s feelings about the pending war that haunted the nation at the time.
Title: The Scream
Artist: Edvard Munch
Year:1893
Another painting that expresses a similar emotion is Francis Bacon’s “Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X”. Once again, the streaking lines and dark colours creates a nightmarish scene that may lead the viewer to feel uncomfortable and the contrasting white colours serve to make the figure look almost ghostlike. The piece communicates intense messages of distress and fear.
Title: Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X
Artist: Francis Bacon
Year: 1953
Blue Horses by Franz Marc creates a completely different atmosphere to the previously mentioned artworks. In this image the horses are a painted a cool blue and a variety of bright colours are used in the background to create a more pleasant emotion. The colours chosen aren’t colours that would naturally found in such environments but the artist specifically chose them to express the desired emotion.
Title: Blue Horses
Artist: Franz Marc
Year: 1911
In conclusion, expressionism was art that broke away from traditional realistic art and focused more on art that flowed from the soul and communicated a message and an emotion.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Austin Artists Market, 2020. Expressionism History. [online] Austin Artists Market. Available at: <https://www.austinartistsmarket.com/expressionism-history/> [Accessed 15 August 2020].
Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019. Expressionism - Expressionism In Literature. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/art/Expressionism/Expressionism-in-literature> [Accessed 15 August 2020].
Gallery, P., 2019. What Is Expressionism? The Art Of The Emotional Over The Physical. [online] Park West Gallery. Available at: <https://www.parkwestgallery.com/what-is-expressionism-art/> [Accessed 15 August 2020].
Gibbons, E., 2019. Understanding The Styles Of Art: Expressionism. [online] YouTube. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aqLVQ2Ppj8> [Accessed 15 August 2020].
Hunt, H., 2016. Abstract Expressionism: Definition, History, Characteristics & Artists. [online] Study.com. Available at: <https://study.com/academy/lesson/abstract-expressionism-definition-history-characteristics-artists.html> [Accessed 15 ugust 2020].
Motta, C., 2014. Expressionism: History Of Expressionism. [online] USEUM. Available at: <https://useum.org/Expressionism/History-of-Expressionism> [Accessed 15 August 2020].
