Amidst the chaos of WWI, artists in various cities throughout Germany used expressionism to convey the anxiety that laid within the idea of how modern life consisted of spiritual disconnect from the earth and nature and the cynical atmosphere in which they dwelled.
These paintings are characterised by their visual intensity through the use of jagged, distorted and rapid brushwork as well as shocking colours. Partakers of this movement were interested in African wood carvings and were influenced by Renaissance artists, Neo-Impressionism and Fauvism.
The roots of this movement began in 1885–1900 with the works of Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch, and James Ensor that used line and colour to connote ideas of fear, horror, and the grotesque and ‘celebrate nature with hallucinatory intensity’. The main development of this movement began in 1905 with an association that came together under the name Die Brücke (The Bridge).
I personally find that the bold shapes and colours used successfully catch the eye and make for an exciting viewing experience. However, the emotion conveyed through the subjects and abstract interpretations give you an insight into how some of these artists experienced their circumstances, communities and encounters.
Jasmine Cooper 