Expressionism

Sharp angles, strange shapes, bright colors, and distorted perspectives are typical features of Expressionism, the movement of the 20th century that valued emotions over objectivity. The aesthetic approach of artists primarily active in Germany and Austria garnered significant international attention and is now regarded as one of the most influential paradigm shifts in the entire history of art.

The leading groups Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter, along with key artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Egon Schiele, and Emil Nolde, rejected Impressionism as an art form in which "man is degraded to a gramophone record of the outside world." Instead, they sought to depict the raw, authentic life that simmered beneath the smooth surface. Their paintings are filled with emotional power, conveyed primarily through intense non-naturalistic color tones, loose brushwork, and thick paint application.

This introduction presents the key representatives of Expressionism, explains their stylistic devices and influences, and explores their panorama of moods, ideas, and emotions, as well as their quest for authenticity.

About the Series
Since its first publication in 1985, the Basic Art Series has become the best-selling art book series of all time. Each title in TASCHEN's Basic Art History includes:
a detailed, illustrated introduction,
a selection of the most significant works of the era, each presented on a double page with a full-page illustration, interpretation of the respective work, portrait, and short biography of the artist,
approximately 100 color illustrations with captions in total.