Expressionism Art Movement

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EXPRESSIONISM In the artistic style known as expressionism, the artist doesn’t try to reproduce objective reality. Instead, the aim is to depict the subjective emotions that a person feels in response to objects and events. The style is characterized by the use of distortion, exaggeration, and fantasy to create vivid or jarring effects. As a movement, the term 'Expressionism' usually denotes the late-19th century, early-20th century schools of emotive or interpretive art, which emerged mainly in Germany and Paris as a reaction to the more passive style of Impressionism. In the sense that it was a reaction to Impressionism, we may describe expressionism as an example of "post-Impressionism". In any event, whereas Impressionist painters sought only to reproduce nature (notably the effects of sunlight), Expressionist painters sought to express their feelings about what they saw. It was a more active, more subjective type of modern art. The roots of expressionist art during the modern era can be traced back to the extraordinary landscapes and other works (see Interior at Petworth, left) of the British artist JMW Turner (1775-1851). His unique style predated the emergence of the late 19th-century Expressionist impulse by at least 40 years. After Turner, the next most important pioneer of the movement was the Dutchman Vincent van Gogh. He was one of three important late-19th-century exponents of the style, as follows Some Characteristics of expressionism include * Non-representational; not a "straightforward presentation of the external world, but a projection of and internal idea without the use of literal symbols" * A look into the emotional and psychological state; distorted images; irregular shapes * Portrayal of human terror, haunting anxieties, nightmarish fears, anguish * Materialism, industrialization, disillusionment, fragmentation, * Excursions
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