Expressionist artists used techniques such as swirling, swaying, and dramatic brushstrokes when painting their subject matter. These techniques showed the emotional state of the artist as he/she was responding to the stress from the industrialization around them. The artists mainly created work that showed isolated individuals- as a result of the urbanization. Some popular artists who were a part of this movement are Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Lyonel Feininger, George Grosz, August Macke, Emil Nolde, Max Pechstein; the Austrian Oskar Kokoschka, the Czech Alfred Kubin and the Norwegian Edvard Munch. Edourd Manet is known for being the leader of the Impressionists and for bridging the gap between Realism and Impressionism. He was born on the 23 January 1832 in Paris, France. Manet worked in history painter and teacher, Thomas Couture's studio until 1856 and then he opened his own studio. He ended up rejected all of Couture's teachings as he developed his own style. He mainly painted scenes from everyday life that he observed on the street. Instead of layering his paint (like he had been taught), he preferred for each bit of paint he applied to be seen by the viewers. This was known as the alla prima style. He also preferred to paint subject matter that was in front of him. Despite his rejection of Couture's style, it was evident in Manet's work that he still maintained some of Couture's techniques- such as the use of dark colours and thick lines. Additionally, Manet also used multiple colours to represent a single tone. Instead of using colour scales, he used tones that contrasted one another and this made his work appear flat. It was Manet's style of painting that influenced the other Impressionists' works. .
Manet had tried to get his work exhibited at the salon in the 1860s but he was rejected. Critics repulsed his work at the time but there were quite a few people who did support his work.