German Expressionist Woodcuts (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)

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The Bauhaus movement came to a close in 1933, yet its influence, much like German Expressionism, lingered. The movement placed focus on juxtaposing abstract shapes with balanced forms, and its influence can be seen in the modern architecture that we are surrounded by today. As war broke out, German Expressionism became a bitter protest movement in addition to a new and modern art style. The movement was led by the younger generation of artists, writers, and thinkers, and was initially confined to Germany due to the country’s isolation throughout World War One. Any creative that sought to dismantle the artistic thought of traditional society belonged, as this movement was borne out of a need to challenge the social conservatism that existed. Karl Hofer, Wassily Kandinsky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Paul Klee, Oskar Kokoschka, Ludwig Meidner, Edvard Munch, a b Hind, Arthur M. (1963). An Introduction to a History of Woodcut. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1935 (in USA), reprinted Dover Publications, 1963. pp.64–94. ISBN 978-0-486-20952-4.

Deffke Billboard (2016) by Jay Gard, Signale der Moderne, Bauhaus Dessau; Jay Gard, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Due to this, it can be difficult to separate each art movement individually, as a lot of overlapping exists. The majority of the artists who helped pave the way for German Expressionism were members of multiple groups. a b c d "Gouge: The Modern Woodcut 1870 to Now – Hammer Museum". The Hammer Museum . Retrieved 18 March 2019. A revival of the art of the woodcut began in Japan in the late 1920s as part of the modern art movement. Onchi Kōshirō and Hiratsuka Un’ichi were early exponents who, though working in different styles, did most for the renaissance of this national art, which thrived once again after World War II. Among the notable woodcut artists of the postwar period are Munakata Shikō and Saitō Kiyoshi.

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After witnessing the horrors of war and experiencing the economic devastation it caused, German Expressionist cinema began to flourish. A number of influential films were made during this time; however, the two most prominent films were The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, directed by Robert Wiene, and Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang. A number of artists and craftsmen working in the Berlin theater brought the Expressionist visual style to the design of stage sets. This, in turn, had an eventual influence on films dealing with fantasy and horror.Werner Herzog's 1979 film Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht was a tribute to F. W. Murnau's 1922 film. The film uses expressionist techniques of highly symbolic acting and symbolic events to tell its story. [9] The 1998 film Dark City used stark contrast, rigid movements, and fantastic elements. [10] [11]

Films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari drew upon themes of reality, such as a soldier’s experience in World War I and the reality of a new social and political structure. A wariness of authoritarian leadership underpinned the themes of horror and dramatic distortions of sets, costumes, and props. Lighting was a critical element in capturing Expressionism on film—shadows and angular portrayals mirrored the statements made by brushstrokes and color in German Expressionist paintings. To this day, filmmakers such as Tim Burton and M. Night Shyamalan have drawn inspiration from the dramatic renderings of German Expressionism in film. Notable Expressionist Artists Myopically, Münter is most often remembered as Kandinsky’s longtime partner, but her contributions to the theories and aesthetics of Der Blaue Reiter were essential. From the home in Munich that she owned and generously shared with Kandinsky, together, they explored how color and abstract form could evoke inner states. Münter’s landscapes, in particular, evince her willingness to jettison strict representation, and move from Post-Impressionism into a more expressive style.Don Kornits (2 June 1999). "Alex Proyas – Director, Dark City". eFilmCritic . Retrieved 6 July 2007. Emerging and evolving throughout the early 1900s right up to the interwar period and Hitler’s eventual ascent to power, German Expressionism was born on a wave of resistance and reaction. Its members renounced the traditional values held in art institutions and society at large, and sought to establish an avant-garde movement that would cut a swathe through those elements of contemporary culture they saw as most destructive and damaging: the rise of the urban landscape and its mechanised industrialisation; the austerity and prudishness of state-sponsored art and religion; and, above all, the predominance of conventional representation in art and the ideology of realism.

At its core, Expressionism was concerned with emotion and the individual experience in opposition to accurate, literal, realistic representation. Confronted with a landscape or a portrait, Expressionist artists sought to depict their experience of and response to the subject more-so than the subject itself, holding a mirror to the soul rather than the source of the illustration. Their art came from within, and to express this more abstract, visualised approach they naturally turned to more abstract forms of expression.

Aged eighteen, Rouault enrolled in the School of Fine Arts in Paris. Like Matisse, Marquet and Camoin, he studied under the renowned Symbolist Gustave Moreau. Rouault soon became his Master's favorite pupil and his personal friend. Moreau was a progressive, open-minded tutor who conscientiously cherished and respected the unique personalities of his students and would always strive to give his pupils the space to develop their individual artistic predilections. 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. [3] Numerous artists and creatives contributed to the success of German Expressionism. These Expressionist artists were influenced by the works and stylistic elements of Vincent Van Gogh, Edvard Munch, Henri Matisse, and Ernst Barlach, as well as by the Fauvism and Post-Impressionism movement.