Series Spotlight - Artistic Movements - Expressionism

A reaction to the dehumanising effect of industrialisation and rapidly growing urbanisation, the avant-garde modernist movement of Expressionism began in Northern Europe at the start of the twentieth century.  Proponents of Expressionism drew on personal emotions and subjective perspective to evoke moods and ideas through distortion to create an extreme emotional effect, rather than portraying the physical reality of the subjects they were painting.

Widely accepted that Expressionism is a movement that is difficult to define owing to the explosion of numerous overlapping artistic styles developing at the same time, such as Cubism, Surrealism, and Dadism, what is generally acknowledged is that the central core of the Expressionist movement is the rejection of the ideology of realism through the use of strong intense colours, distorted shapes and exaggerated lines reflecting emotional angst.

The National Portrait Gallery in London has curated a fascinating exhibition of portraits by the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, one of the precursors of Expressionism, which is on display until June 15, 2025.  His most famous work, The Scream, perfectly captures the sense of inner turmoil, the fundamental essence of this movement.

Van Gogh and Egon Schiele are amongst those recognised for their contribution to the evolution of the Expressionist movement; their works commonly displaying an emotional intensity captured through the use of bold brushstrokes and convoluted natural forms.

As one of the founders of ‘The Bridge’, a German group focused on bridging the gap between the past and the present, Kirchner is key to the development of this movement.  The profound and enduring impact Expressionism has had can be seen in the celebrated art of Kandinsky, Jawlinksy, Klee, and Chagall, as well as contemporary artists such as Rebecca Aldernet and Chloe Watts.