Expressionism: Art Movement In The Late 19th And Early Twentieth Century

Modernism was the art movement that departed from classical and traditional forms and altered the perception and the aesthetics of art (Gay, 2008, pg. 3). Expressionism is one of various modernist styles in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that affected numerous art forms including paintings and film. The social environment surrounding expressionism was very significant as the expressionist style aimed to convey subjective emotions as a response to the conditions of the modern period as life rapidly sped up, decrease of religious faith, the rise of science and technology and the effect of the war (Butler, 2010, pg. 1). Expressionism reflected such changes that their work highlighted distorted and exaggerated forms in various
Expressionism was an art movement that opposed Impressionism (Schwabe, 1918 pg. 140). With the vastly changing and rapidly developing society, Impressionism depicted the lifestyle of the new middle class, particularly in Paris, that dominated modern society (Giutini (n.d) as cited in Khan Academy (2015). An example of this is Paris Street; Rainy Day (1848-1894) by Gustave Caillebotte as he incorporated proportion, perspective and realistic imagery with tones and shadows (The Art Institute of Chicago, 2013) to portray the surrounding daily modern life as impressionists perceived it without the guidance of personal emotions unlike expressionism (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015). On the other hand, Expressionists including Munch and Weine were purely driven by emotional instincts that effectively expressed desired emotions through the use of extreme visual and aesthetic effects (Doll, 2010). Expressionist techniques that Munch utilizes contradict the Impressionist style. This is demonstrated as Munch incorporates obscure waved brush strokes, contrasting brightness of colours to create and ambiguous figures that expressively illustrate his outlook of the chaotic environment caused by modern life (Shabi,
The set design consisted of sharp angles in the distorted geometries of the visuals and Pramaggiore (2005, pg. 89) asserts that this was a completely different and alienated filmic expression. The bold contrast of light and shadows also emphasize nervousness and anguish that people experienced because of modern living (Kracauer 1947, pg. 7). Moreover, Doll (2010) believes that expressionism that demonstrated these new techniques that effectively provoked emotional responses from the viewers. Willet (1970, pg. 8) supports this claim as he affirms that dramatic emphasis on deformed painting techniques and film visuals was due to the overwhelming anxiety of modern life. This highlights the emotional stress of modern life and the portrayal of distinctive