What is Expressionism?

Expressionism in painting is a term used to define an art which makes the subjective emotions of the artist prevail over the material observation of the facts, of the subject.

An antagonistic movement of Impressionism, it appears at the beginning of the 20th century in Europe, and becomes so powerful that it is now synonymous with modern art. The expressionist artist shows his character, his reading prism and his vision of the world, by means of an intimate, symbolic and emotional expression on the lines, shapes and colors of his composition. The first representatives of this current are young German idealists, separated into two distinct entities: Die Brücke (the Bridge), from which Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Emil Nolde and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Der Blaue Reiter ( the Blue Rider), larger, which includes the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky, the Swiss Paul Klee, and the Germans Franz Marc, Gabriele Münter and August Macke. All are united by a powerful belief in their ability to make a difference through an intense and heartbreaking view of the world translatable into works of simplified designs, exaggerated shapes and vivid color contrasts. In Austria too, the movement is emulated and we find two emblematic artists: Oskar Kokoschka, great painter of anguish, and Egon Schiele, iconic painter of discomfort, with a nervous outline and deformed erotic figures. In France, the artist Georges Rouault also participates in the influence of the movement. This art emancipated from its descriptive role then becomes an emotional, mystical or spiritual vision, with distinct approaches depending on the artist. This art can be political, utopian or experimental.

The artwork used as an example for this post is called: “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Goh