Expressionism was one of the main movements in the later 19th and 20th centuries.
No other artistic style has had as much an impact on 20th century art as expressionism has.
Expressionism not only has influenced the art movement, it has influenced other expressive, creative areas such as literature, theatre and cinema. .
One of the two Expressionist movements was Die Brucke (The Bridge), which emerged in Germany early in the 20th century. .
The artists found inspiration from their predecessors like Van Gogh, Ensor, Munch, Goya, El Greco and Mathias Grunewald and as far back as primitive art.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner played a prominent role in the Die Brucke, and insisted that the artists all expressed with their inner convictions sincerely and spontaneously. .
After a while the artist's inner convictions began to differ, and the Die Brucke came to an end. .
So much of early expressionism was used in a negative way due to artists own emotional/mental problems, for example, fear of death, fear of being alone, or exclusion from society. To which this brought on work that represented pain, destruction, dark drama and doom and gloom. .
Understandably so, considering so many of them went through the horrific experience of World War 1, which left them in states of depression and hallucinations, their only outlet was through their art.
The other prominent movement was Der Blaue Reiter ("The Blue Rider"), being larger, and philosophical in its approach.
Wassily Kandinsky played a major role in this group, like some of his other colleagues, Kandinsky continued to explore new territories and open up new dimensions. .
One statement of their ideals was,.
To give expression to inner impulses in every form which provokes an intimate personal reaction in the beholder. We seek today, behind the veil of external appearances, the hidden things, which seem to us more important than the discoveries of the Impressionists. We search out and elaborate this hidden side of ourselves not from caprice nor for the sake of being different, but because this is the side we see.
