[ Expressionism ]
A New Doorway into the Unknown Within
August Macke, Lady in a Green Jacket, 1913
Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in
poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning
of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely
from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional
effect in order to evoke moods or ideas. Expressionist artists have
sought to express the meaning of emotional experience rather than
physical reality.
Expressionism developed as an
avant-garde style before the First
World War. It remained popular during the Weimar Republic, particularly
in Berlin. The style extended to a wide range of the arts, including
expressionist architecture, painting, literature, theatre, dance, film
and music.