German Expressionism

The historical, social and cultural development of a society is always reflected in artistic creations. These are valuable testimonies that help us to understand what happened in a country, what were the concerns and the changes in the society and how the citizens felt about it.

In Germany, the First World War brought subjects such as loneliness, bitterness or the horrors of war to the world of art. On a philosophical level, the wave of Existentialists contributed to thinking about the concern for life and death and for human sensitivity. Beyond the art, the Expressionism was a way of understanding the human being.

Like other avant-garde artistic movements of the twentieth century, this was born out of a reaction to another movement and had a new attitude. The Impressionism and the political conflicts were the engine that inspired artists like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Paul Klee and Von Jawlensky. They sought a personal and intuitive art, an expression of their inner and emotional visions rather than the visual impressions. The Expressionism is one of the few movements that became international and whose expression of tragedy took place in many areas: cinema, theatre, architecture, sculpture, literature, poetry, in music, dance, photography and so on.

On a pictorial level, “The Scream” (1893) painted by Edvard Munch was terrifying. In fact, its violent and unrealistic colours, its strong and thick brush strokes, the distorted body of the characters and the loss of spatial reference are some typical technical features of the existentialist angst. “Die Brücke” (1905) and “Der Blaue Reiter” (1911) were the two main groups under which the artists met. The works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner – member of the first group, are perhaps the best known. Sure you know the painting of the girl with a green face. This is “Fränzi in front of a Carved Chair” (1910) (see photo above),  an impressive painting on exhibit in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Mueseum in Madrid.

These painters liked forbidden subjects such as the morbid, the demonic, the sexual, the perverted or fantasy.

If you want to look and feel the force of expressionist art, we invite you to visit the permanent collection of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. Rent Madrid Apartments and dive into the disturbing expressionist universe. And if you have a panic attack looking at those pictures, enjoy a hectic nightlife in the Spanish capital.

Tags: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German Expressionism, German Expressionism Art, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza