👨🏻‍🎤European Art and Civilization – 1400 to Present Unit 8 – Expressionism & Abstract Art's Emergence

Key Concepts and Definitions

• Expressionism emphasizes subjective emotions and inner experiences over objective reality
• Distorts forms, colors, and perspectives to evoke moods or ideas
• Abstraction reduces subjects to basic shapes, lines, and colors
• Non-representational art does not depict recognizable objects or scenes
• Fauvism (wild beasts) used vivid colors and loose brushwork to express emotions
• Cubism broke down objects into geometric shapes and multiple perspectives
• Surrealism explored the subconscious mind and dreams through bizarre imagery
  • Automatism involved spontaneous creation without conscious control

Historical Context and Influences

• Emerged in early 20th century Europe, particularly Germany
• Reaction against traditional academic art and realism
• Influenced by post-impressionism (Van Gogh, Gauguin) and symbolism
• Shaped by social and political upheavals (World War I, industrialization)
• Reflected anxiety, alienation, and disillusionment of modern life
• Drew inspiration from primitive art, children's art, and art of the mentally ill
• Influenced by Freudian theories of the unconscious mind
• Sought to challenge bourgeois values and conventions

Pioneers and Notable Artists

• Edvard Munch (The Scream) explored themes of anxiety and existential angst
• Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and the Die Brücke (The Bridge) group in Germany
  • Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and Emil Nolde
• Wassily Kandinsky pioneered abstract art with compositions of colors and shapes
  • Believed art could express spiritual truths and evoke emotions through pure form
• Franz Marc and the Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) group in Germany
  • August Macke and Gabriele Münter
• Henri Matisse and the Fauves in France (André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck)
• Kazimir Malevich and Suprematism in Russia
• Piet Mondrian and De Stijl movement in the Netherlands

Characteristics of Expressionist Art

• Intense, vivid colors to convey emotions and moods
• Distorted, exaggerated forms and perspectives
• Rough, gestural brushwork and thick impasto
• Simplified, flattened shapes and spaces
• Symbolic or allegorical content expressing inner states
• Often depicted urban scenes, landscapes, and portraits
  • Captured the alienation and anxiety of modern life
• Conveyed a sense of dynamism, energy, and movement

Evolution of Abstract Art

• Began with post-impressionist experiments in color and form (Cézanne, Van Gogh)
• Cubism fragmented objects into geometric planes and multiple viewpoints
  • Analytic Cubism (1907-1912) broke down forms into facets and planes
  • Synthetic Cubism (1912-1914) introduced collage and flat, abstract shapes
• Futurism celebrated speed, technology, and the dynamism of modern life
• Kandinsky's abstract compositions of colors and shapes (Improvisation, Composition series)
• Malevich's Suprematist paintings of geometric forms on white backgrounds (Black Square)
• Mondrian's grid-based compositions of primary colors and black lines
• Abstract Expressionism in post-World War II America (Pollock, Rothko, de Kooning)

Techniques and Mediums

• Oil painting with thick, expressive brushwork and impasto
• Woodcut prints with bold, simplified forms and contrasting colors
• Collage incorporating fragments of paper, fabric, and other materials
• Sculpture with rough, unfinished surfaces and distorted forms
  • Ernst Barlach and Wilhelm Lehmbruck in Germany
• Stained glass with vivid colors and abstract designs (Marc, Kandinsky)
• Mixed media combining painting, drawing, and collage elements
• Automatism and chance procedures in Surrealism (Miró, Masson)
• Drip painting and action painting in Abstract Expressionism (Pollock)

Impact on Modern Art

• Broke from traditional notions of representation and beauty
• Emphasized subjective expression over objective reality
• Paved the way for abstract and non-representational art
• Influenced later movements like Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and Neo-Expressionism
• Expanded the boundaries of what could be considered art
  • Challenged viewers to find meaning in pure form and color
• Reflected the psychological and spiritual concerns of the modern age
• Contributed to the rise of art as a means of personal and political expression

Critical Reception and Legacy

• Initially met with shock, controversy, and rejection by the public and critics
  • Seen as ugly, primitive, and incomprehensible
• Gradually gained acceptance and influence in the art world
• Nazis condemned Expressionism as "degenerate art" and purged it from museums
  • Many artists fled Germany or faced persecution
• Abstract art became the dominant mode of modernism in the mid-20th century
• Expressionism revival in the 1980s with Neo-Expressionism (Baselitz, Kiefer)
• Continues to inspire artists exploring subjective experience and emotion
• Key works in major museums and collections worldwide (MoMA, Guggenheim, Tate Modern)