Expressionism

Sharp angles, strange forms, lurid colors, and distorted perspectives are classic hallmarks of <strong>Expressionism</strong>, the twentieth century movement that <strong>prioritized emotion over objective reality</strong>. Though particularly present in Germany and Austria, the movement's approach flourished internationally and is today hailed as <strong>one of the most influential shifts in art history.</strong>

With leading groups <strong>Die Brucke</strong> (The Bridge) and <strong>Der Blaue Reiter </strong>(The Blue Rider), and key players such as <strong>Wassily Kandinsky, Egon Schiele</strong>,and<strong> Emil Nolde,</strong> the Expressionists disowned Impressionism, which they regarded as "man lowered to the position of a gramophone record of the outer world", to depict instead a <strong>raw and visceral experience </strong>of life as it was felt, rather than seen on the surface. Their paintings brim with emotive force, conveyed in particular through <strong>intense and non-naturalistic color palettes, loose brushwork, and thick textures.</strong>

Covering the group's stylistic tendencies, influences, and most important protagonists, this introductory book explores the Expressionist panorama of moods, ideas, and emotions and their abiding quest for deep authenticity.