February 2007: Expressionism by Ashley Bassie

How Expressionist art led the way to a new, intense, evocative treatment of psychological, emotional, and social themes in the early 20th century through the work of Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, Egon Schiele, Paul Klee, and others.

The term ``Expressionism'' can be used to describe various art forms but, in its broadest sense, it is used to describe any art that raises subjective feelings above objective observations. The paintings aim to reflect the artists's state of mind rather than the reality of the external world. The German Expressionist movement began in 1905 with artists such as Kirchner and Nolde, who favoured the Fauvist style of bright colours but also added stronger linear effects and harsher outlines.Characterized by heightened, symbolic colours and exaggerated imagery, it was German Expressionism in particular that tended to dwell on the darker, sinister aspects of the human psyche.