12 Questions
What was the main dissatisfaction of European artists at the beginning of the 20th century?
Academic standards and style of the art community
Where did Expressionism originate?
Germany
What type of subject matter did Expressionism focus on?
Urban settings and emotions
When did the Expressionist movement start?
At the turn of the century
What influenced the Expressionists in their use of bold colors and unusual forms?
Post-Impressionists
Why did the National Socialists (Nazis) condemn Expressionism as 'degenerate'?
'Degenerate' in their eyes due to its emotional and non-conformist nature
What did Expressionist artists aim to express through their work?
Inner feelings using simple shapes and broad brushstrokes
Who founded the Der Blaue Reiter group to express spirituality through color symbolism?
Wassily Kandinsky
Which artist was inspired by the unique light in Tunisia and used abstract forms and representations in his art?
Paul Klee
Who created the painting 'Composition VII' interpreted as the last judgment and resurrection with symbolic forms representing biblical events?
Wassily Kandinsky
Which artist was part of the Die Brucke group in the German Expressionist movement?
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Who suffered from a debilitating disease and created seven panels using charcoal and oil on newsprint pasted on linen or burlap?
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Study Notes
German Expressionist Artists: Kandinsky and Klee
- Die Brucke and Der Blaue Reiter were two dominant groups in the German Expressionist movement, led by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, respectively.
- Expressionism flourished in museums and was collected, but in 1933, the Nazis started dismantling the artwork, removing 20,000 pieces from state-owned museums.
- In 1937, a defamatory show called Degenerate Art in Munich exhibited 740 modern works, portraying them as blasphemous and a plot against Germany.
- Wassily Kandinsky, born in Moscow, studied law but later pursued art in Munich, believing color directly influenced the soul.
- Kandinsky's important early painting, Der Blaue Reiter, was associated with the group he founded to express spirituality through color symbolism.
- Kandinsky was focused on how geometrical planes and elements intersected to create his paintings and believed color tones affected horizontal and vertical lines.
- Composition VII, a Kandinsky painting, is interpreted as the last judgment and resurrection, with symbolic forms representing biblical events.
- Paul Klee, born in Switzerland, studied in Munich, and was part of the Der Blaue Reiter group, and later taught at the Bauhaus.
- Klee was inspired by the unique light in Tunisia, using abstract forms and representations to portray his subject matter.
- Klee's Hammamet with Its Mosque depicts the city's exterior, with nonrepresentational, transparent geometric shapes in the lower section.
- Red Balloon by Klee is a set of softly colored geometric shapes representing a cityscape with a floating balloon, balancing red color elements.
- In 1938, Klee, suffering from a debilitating disease, created seven panels using charcoal and oil on newsprint pasted on linen or burlap, his signature elements being thick, dark lines.
Learn about the birth of Expressionism in Europe, particularly in Germany, during the early 20th century. Explore how artists broke away from traditional academic standards and developed a style charged with emotions and urban subject matter.
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