Expressionism definition

Expressionism (1905-1925) is a movement characterized by exaggeration and distortion in order to create an emotional impact.  It did not just affect the visual arts, but it also affected other disciplines such as literature, theatre, cinema and dance.  The aim of the movement in art was to try to visually express subjective emotions and responses experienced by the artist from the events and forms around him.  He does this through the use of manipulating art elements in volatile ways, exaggeration, fantasy, primitivism, and distortion.   The reproduction of the visible world were not the aim of the movement; rather, the artist’s own individuality was of the utmost in important in recreating the true meaning of the things according to HIS sensibilities.  Expressing something intensely was key.  Key artists of the movement include: Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, Lionel Feininger, George Grosz, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, August Macke, andinsky, Emil Nolde, Max Pechstein, Oskar Kokoschka, Alfred Kubin, and Edvard Munch.