Expressionism

Sharp angles, bizarre shapes, muddy colors, and distorted perspectives are typical elements of Expressionism, the 20th-century movement that emphasized emotion over objective reality. Particularly thriving in Germany and Austria, the Expressionist approach gained international traction and is today considered one of the most influential developments in art history.

The Expressionists, represented by the group The Bridge (The bridge) and The Blue Rider (The Blue Rider), as well as artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Egon Schiele, and Emil Nolde, rejected Impressionism, calling it "the abnegation of man, reduced to a mere instrument for recording the external world," to devote themselves to the representation of raw reality, as it is experienced, not as it is seen. Their paintings resonate with a powerful emotional charge, conveyed through a palette of intense, unnatural colors, broad brushstrokes, and thick textures.

Exploring the group's stylistic peculiarities, influences and main protagonists, this introductory volume presents the Expressionist panorama, with its moods, ideas and emotions, in search of the most authentic truth.