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German Expressionism

German Expressionism evolves between 1910 and 1930 and reflects in different cultural fields - in architecture, in dance, in painting, in sculpture and in film.

WWI had a tremendous impact in art and post-war defeated Germany, with the horrible casualties, showed this dark side through art. Many artists turn to printmaking which allows a more democratic distribution of accessible art and the prevailing «black and white» of most prints serve the intensity and tension of Expressionism.

Otto Dix prints horrific scenes of war are an example

Otto Dix
Kathe Kolwitz

Two groups become important within German Expressionism movement: Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter, named after one of Kandinsky’s paintings. They held a common position «in reaction to the dehumanizing effect of industrialization and the growth of cities» and they distance themselves from traditions and institutions, rejecting realism and the bourgeois society. They want to express the subjective emotions of people.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner is one of the founders of Die Brücke. This painting of Nollendorfplatz shows some of the characteristics of the Expressionism, with intense colours and exaggerated distorted perspectives.

Kirshner - Expressionism
Kandinsky - Blaue Reiter

Wassily Kandinsky’s painting Der Blaue Reiter names the movement. Kandinsky’s most famous paintings will evolve towards much more abstract and geometric forms, closer to constructivism and suprematism. Later on, he will be a major figure in another important German movement Bauhaus.

Kandinsky Abstract

Recursos

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