Even the idea of Expressionism is an attractive one. For creative types, it’s a gift; at its most pared back, it’s a rejection of the objective, a valid & purposeful chance to wallow in subjective views of the inner & outer world. How exciting must this prospect have been in the early 1900s to the first proponents of Expressionism? A realisation that you could legitimately delve into atmosphere & attitude, focus on aura & ambience & preferably do it your own way? Expressionism is not only an art movement, it’s an essential part of life. I have said that Surrealism is one of the most important genres in art history & I’d say the same of Expressionism. Whereas Surrealism initially had a political agenda, Expressionism is about the individual, the politics of feeling.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll find much Expressionist art entirely relatable, sometimes uncomfortably so…& there’s the point. The Expressionists are not going for the easily accessible, the bucolic or beauty for its own sake – THIS IS ART! It’s difficult, disturbing & queasy because that is how we feel. Our emotions & inner lives are not easy to navigate & Expressionism suggests we are slaves to them. Expressionism suggests they are what we are. Expressionism is a reflection of the human psyche held up for all to see. There have of course been updated versions of Expressionism (Abstract, Neo-) but today we’re looking at its inception, when it was still a revelation.
Emotions, concepts, distortion, immediacy, thought, relevance, the human condition…
~rolls up sleeves, cracks knuckles~
Edvard Munch (1862-1944), Norway
Skrik (The Scream) (1907)
Does the Norwegian name Skrik (shriek) alter the meaning of this composition from what we know it to be? I rather think it does. I was trying to think of an alternative way to look at this extremely well-known work afresh, when in fact Munch provided it for us. The German name translates as “The Scream of Nature” which alters it again. Would this painting have gained the same popularity in the Western world with either of these names? A shriek is a very different concept to a scream. “Shriek” to me suggests what would have once been described as hysteria. A shriek seems quicker, less permanent, expressing surprise; that said the painting does suggest a lingering anxiety. Sadly mental illness was common in Munch’s family however; his since his sister was institutionalised & his Skrik shows he had a far greater sympathy than society at the time.
One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side & the fjord below. I felt tired & ill. I stopped & looked out over the fjord—the sun was setting & the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The colour shrieked. This became “The Scream.”
Gabriele Münter (1877-1962), Germany
Self Portrait (c. 1908)
More of a landscape painter, in a similarly flat style & using the vivid, bright palette of other Expressionists, Münther’s work often fits in rather than standing out. This self portrait however shows another side to her work. The dry, scratchy brushwork around the head might suggest a rush or unfinished work but equally we see an artist using many painting methods in one painting. Most of the face is moulded in impasto & we can see she has used the end of her brush to denote strands of hair. From an Expressionist point of view, it’s hard to imagine a more clear & realistic depiction of an inner emotional life placed on the surface.
Franz Marc (1880-1916), Germany
Tierschicksale, Fate of the Animals (1913)
A founding member of Der Blaue Reiter group of artists, Marc applied colour with meaning – he matched emotions with different colours & adopted an almost Cubist style in his paintings. As a WWI soldier – he was killed at the Battle of Verdun – he was naturally appalled at the many horrors he witnessed & he then saw Tierschicksale as a terrifying prediction of the carnage that was to come. Today we can look at the painting & the title & glean a different modern meaning & yet another grim warning...
OBVIOUSLY the Nazis dismissed him as a degenerate artist.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938), Germany
Self Portrait as a Soldier (1915)
Kirchner was a member of Die Brücke (the bridge), another key group in the progress of Expressionism. He developed a dependence on alcohol & barbiturates & was eventually institutionalised. Again as the Nazis decimated public collections, they took 639 of Kirchner’s works from galleries & included 25 of these in their Degenerate Art exhibition in 1937. He became more & more distraught by what was happening in his native country & was terrified that the Nazis would invade Switzerland where he had made a life for himself after initially seeking treatment. Kirchner became one of their victims in any case, shooting himself in 1938.
Erich Heckel (1883-1970), Germany
Portrait of a Man (1919)
In today’s parlance, it might be said that the man in this woodcut is “over it.” This is a common subject in Expressionism of the time. He appears drained & solemn. Heckel was another member of Die Brücke. He developed connections with Marc which subsequently aligned Die Brücke with Der Blaue Reiter in public consciousness.
Max Beckmann (1884-1950), Germany
Self Portrait with Red Scarf (1917)
The theme, the emotion is clear for all to see. Yet Beckmann did not align himself with the Expressionists. He was part of the New Objectivity movement (Die Neue Sachlichkeit), which rejected the emotional outpourings of Expressionism. Nevertheless they frequently shared the element of condemning society under the rise of the Nazis. Despite his refutation of the Expressionist tag, Beckmann retained a pleasingly dark & disturbing undercurrent in all his works.
Georg Alexander Mathéy (1884-1968), Germany
Anbetung (Worship) (1921)
A graphic artist, Mathéy created many linocuts & woodcuts in this style. He was known as a freelance artist, designing postage stamps in 1919 & 1951. I’ve read that had he stuck to fine art, he might have become better known as an artist. However, when one looks at what became of other artists in Germany at the time, a graphic art job was possibly a safer option…
Atelier Ledl Bernhard
Poster for the film “Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari” (1920)
Of course German Expressionist film-making was & remains highly influential & this brilliant poster advertising the film is irrestible…
Anton Kolig (1886-1950-), Austria
Seated Youth (“In the Morning”) (1919)
From there we’ll shuffle off in search of the Austrians. In Seated Youth, we can see a direct line to Lucien Freud’s works. Kolig was a military artist in WWI, later injured in WWII bombings.
Egon Schiele (1890-1918), Austria
Self Portrait With Raised Hands (1914)
Before pandemics were a thing in the 21st Century, they were claiming the lives of great artists of the 20th. Schiele’s was a short, yet eventful life & he squeezed as much of its internal struggle into his art as was surely possible. Not only does his style show the development of his own sparely-painted brand of Expressionism, but the pose also implies an unnatural tension. In thinking about this painting, something I read about his upbringing occurred to me – that little Egon grew obsessed with drawing trains to the extent that his father took away his sketchbook. Why? I can’t help thinking this depressing incident & his father’s cruel part in it probably damaged Egon but simultaneously contributed to giving the world the gift of his interior life.
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