German expressionism

German Expressionism is a cultural movement that is challenging to define as it is not distinguished by a singular style or method of creation, but rather is better described by both the mindset of the artist creating the work and the generation he or she lived in. The German Expressionists were artists, writers, and thinkers who were of age in Germany prior to World War II, and lived during Wilhelm II’s reign. German Expressionism developed as a result of the younger generation’s reaction against the bourgeois culture of Germany during this time period. While German Expressionism is generally considered to be a pre-World War II movement, it came back into fashion in some circles after the war ended. The German Expressionist movement was more than just a style of creating works of art or of telling a story, rather it was more of a mindset that had social, cultural, and political aspects. German Expressionism can be understood as a means of approaching life and, in particular, change. A number of Expressionists shared the “belief that literature was capable of effecting profound changes in society.” The significance of German Expression is in its ephemeral nature. Many of the publications that resulted from the movement were serials printed on cheap paper or items that were burned in the later half of the 1930s. The movement as a whole was transitional, and it reflected German culture in that moment of change. The movement did not last an especially long time, and started t...

This website documents The Museum of Modern Art's extraordinary collection of more than 3,000 Expressionist prints, drawings, paintings, sculptures, illustrated books, and periodicals, exploring the various artists, themes, and techniques associated with the major modernist movement that developed in Germany and Austria during the early decades of the 20th century. The Collection This website is dedicated to the Museum's rich collection of German Expressionist art. Defining Expressionism in broad terms, this collection comprises approximately 3,200 works, including some 2,800 prints (644 of which are in periodicals in the Museum Library), 275 drawings, 32 posters, and 40 paintings and sculptures. The preponderance of prints in the collection parallels the crucial position of printmaking within the movement as a whole. If you are interested in reproducing images from The Museum of Modern Art web site, please visit the Image Permissions page (www.moma.org/permissions). For additional information about using content from MoMA.org, please visit About this Site (www.moma.org/site). © Copyright 2016 The Museum of Modern Art

As the name suggests, German expressionist filmmakers used visual distortion and hyper-expressive performance to show inner turmoils, fears and desires of that era. German Expressionism reflects the inner conflicts of its 1920s German audience by giving their woes an inescapably external presence. By rejecting cinematic realism, expressionist films showcase dramatic, revolutionary interpretations of the human condition. How German Expressionism began In 1916, the German government decided to ban all foreign films. With a sudden demand for more domestic titles, there was an understandably dramatic increase in the number of films produced in Germany each year. However, German audiences had become less preferential towards romance and action flicks since the beginning of WWI, and themes of violence, cruelty and betrayal become more relevant topics for discussion. This unfortunate set of circumstances, along with the constant fear of hyperinflation, provided a platform for daring, innovative filmmakers such as Fritz Lang ( Metropolis) and F.W. Murnau ( Nosferatu) to make German Expressionism one of the most important and influential movements in cinematic history. "I am profoundly fascinated by cruelty, fear, horror and death. My films show my preoccupation with violence, the pathology of violence." - Fritz Lang Unlike most other cinematic movements, Expressionism doesn't solely belong to filmmaking, and existed prior to the invention of cinema. Fortunately, this helps us unde...

• • • • • • German Expressionism ( Deutscher Expressionismus) consisted of several related creative movements in Germany before the Characteristics [ ] German Expressionism was an artistic movement in the early 20th century that emphasized the artist's inner emotions rather than attempting to replicate reality. History [ ] A screenshot from director a.k.a., The German Expressionist movement was initially confined to Germany due to the country's isolation during World War I. In 1916, the government banned foreign films, creating a sharp increase in the demand for domestic film production: from 24 films in 1914, to 130 films in 1918. With inflation also on the rise, Germans were attending films more freely because they knew that their money's value was constantly diminishing. International audiences and appreciation for German cinema began to grow as anti-German sentiment decreased following the end of World War I. By the time its 1916 ban on imports on foreign film was lifted, Germany had become a part of the international film industry. Among the first Expressionist films, The extreme anti-realism of Expressionism was short-lived, fading away after only a few years. The themes of Expressionism were integrated into later films of the 1920s and 1930s, resulting in an artistic control over the placement of scenery, light, etc. to enhance the mood of a film. This dark, moody school of film making was brought to the United States when the The Animal of Steel ( Das Stahltier, 19...

German Expressionism was an art movement that emerged in the early 20th century and was characterized by a focus on emotion and ideas as inspiration. The basis of the movement came in stark contrast with other movements that preceded it, which focused on more accurate depictions of reality and nature. German Expressionism also encompassed social, cultural, and political perspectives of younger generations at the time. German Expressionism was more than just a style, it was a state of mind. A Brief History of German Expressionism German Expressionism began during the reign of Wilhelm II, German Kaiser and King of Prussia. At a time when the world was undergoing significant shifts—from industrial developments to the dawn of World War I—German Expressionism provided a lens through which audiences could comprehend and contribute to the changes at hand by challenging norms and encouraging bold demonstrations of thought. For example, works by In 1905, a group of architectural students—founded by Kirchner and including Die Brücke (The Bridge), an artists’ group in Dresden. They opposed tradition and used art as a tool for self-expression. The group expanded to include others, producing works that displayed elements of traditional German art, as well as African and South Pacific tribal art. Their 1906 manifesto stated their desires to “achieve freedom of life and action against the well established older forces,” which was supported by patrons who paid subscriptions for annual por...

As the name suggests, German expressionist filmmakers used visual distortion and hyper-expressive performance to show inner turmoils, fears and desires of that era. German Expressionism reflects the inner conflicts of its 1920s German audience by giving their woes an inescapably external presence. By rejecting cinematic realism, expressionist films showcase dramatic, revolutionary interpretations of the human condition. How German Expressionism began In 1916, the German government decided to ban all foreign films. With a sudden demand for more domestic titles, there was an understandably dramatic increase in the number of films produced in Germany each year. However, German audiences had become less preferential towards romance and action flicks since the beginning of WWI, and themes of violence, cruelty and betrayal become more relevant topics for discussion. This unfortunate set of circumstances, along with the constant fear of hyperinflation, provided a platform for daring, innovative filmmakers such as Fritz Lang ( Metropolis) and F.W. Murnau ( Nosferatu) to make German Expressionism one of the most important and influential movements in cinematic history. "I am profoundly fascinated by cruelty, fear, horror and death. My films show my preoccupation with violence, the pathology of violence." - Fritz Lang Unlike most other cinematic movements, Expressionism doesn't solely belong to filmmaking, and existed prior to the invention of cinema. Fortunately, this helps us unde...

• Afrikaans • Alemannisch • العربية • Asturianu • Azərbaycanca • বাংলা • Banjar • Беларуская • Беларуская (тарашкевіца) • Български • Bosanski • Català • Čeština • Cymraeg • Dansk • Deutsch • Eesti • Ελληνικά • Español • Esperanto • Euskara • فارسی • Français • Frysk • Galego • 한국어 • Հայերեն • हिन्दी • Hrvatski • Bahasa Indonesia • Ирон • Íslenska • Italiano • עברית • ქართული • Қазақша • Kernowek • Kotava • Kurdî • Кыргызча • Latina • Latviešu • Lietuvių • Magyar • Македонски • മലയാളം • مصرى • Nederlands • Nedersaksies • 日本語 • Nordfriisk • Norsk bokmål • Norsk nynorsk • Occitan • Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ • پنجابی • Polski • Português • Română • Русиньскый • Русский • Seeltersk • Shqip • Simple English • سنڌي • Slovenčina • Slovenščina • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Suomi • Svenska • Татарча / tatarça • ไทย • Тоҷикӣ • Türkçe • Українська • اردو • Tiếng Việt • 吴语 • 粵語 • Zeêuws • 中文 Portrait of Eduard Kosmack, 1910, oil on canvas, 100 × 100 cm, While the word expressionist was used in the modern sense as early as 1850, its origin is sometimes traced to paintings exhibited in 1901 in Paris by obscure artist Julien-Auguste Hervé, which he called Expressionismes. Important precursors of Expressionism were the German philosopher To Damascus 1898–1901, A Dream Play (1902), The Ghost Sonata (1907); Erdgeist ( Earth Spirit) (1895) and Die Büchse der Pandora ( Pandora's Box) (1904); the American poet Leaves of Grass (1855–1891); the Russian novelist In 1905...

This website documents The Museum of Modern Art's extraordinary collection of more than 3,000 Expressionist prints, drawings, paintings, sculptures, illustrated books, and periodicals, exploring the various artists, themes, and techniques associated with the major modernist movement that developed in Germany and Austria during the early decades of the 20th century. The Collection This website is dedicated to the Museum's rich collection of German Expressionist art. Defining Expressionism in broad terms, this collection comprises approximately 3,200 works, including some 2,800 prints (644 of which are in periodicals in the Museum Library), 275 drawings, 32 posters, and 40 paintings and sculptures. The preponderance of prints in the collection parallels the crucial position of printmaking within the movement as a whole. If you are interested in reproducing images from The Museum of Modern Art web site, please visit the Image Permissions page (www.moma.org/permissions). For additional information about using content from MoMA.org, please visit About this Site (www.moma.org/site). © Copyright 2016 The Museum of Modern Art

German Expressionism was an art movement that emerged in the early 20th century and was characterized by a focus on emotion and ideas as inspiration. The basis of the movement came in stark contrast with other movements that preceded it, which focused on more accurate depictions of reality and nature. German Expressionism also encompassed social, cultural, and political perspectives of younger generations at the time. German Expressionism was more than just a style, it was a state of mind. A Brief History of German Expressionism German Expressionism began during the reign of Wilhelm II, German Kaiser and King of Prussia. At a time when the world was undergoing significant shifts—from industrial developments to the dawn of World War I—German Expressionism provided a lens through which audiences could comprehend and contribute to the changes at hand by challenging norms and encouraging bold demonstrations of thought. For example, works by In 1905, a group of architectural students—founded by Kirchner and including Die Brücke (The Bridge), an artists’ group in Dresden. They opposed tradition and used art as a tool for self-expression. The group expanded to include others, producing works that displayed elements of traditional German art, as well as African and South Pacific tribal art. Their 1906 manifesto stated their desires to “achieve freedom of life and action against the well established older forces,” which was supported by patrons who paid subscriptions for annual por...

German Expressionism is a cultural movement that is challenging to define as it is not distinguished by a singular style or method of creation, but rather is better described by both the mindset of the artist creating the work and the generation he or she lived in. The German Expressionists were artists, writers, and thinkers who were of age in Germany prior to World War II, and lived during Wilhelm II’s reign. German Expressionism developed as a result of the younger generation’s reaction against the bourgeois culture of Germany during this time period. While German Expressionism is generally considered to be a pre-World War II movement, it came back into fashion in some circles after the war ended. The German Expressionist movement was more than just a style of creating works of art or of telling a story, rather it was more of a mindset that had social, cultural, and political aspects. German Expressionism can be understood as a means of approaching life and, in particular, change. A number of Expressionists shared the “belief that literature was capable of effecting profound changes in society.” The significance of German Expression is in its ephemeral nature. Many of the publications that resulted from the movement were serials printed on cheap paper or items that were burned in the later half of the 1930s. The movement as a whole was transitional, and it reflected German culture in that moment of change. The movement did not last an especially long time, and started t...