Expressionism is a term used to describe a movement of the early 20th century (c.1905-20) that was most prominent in Germany and Austria. The aims of an Expressionist were to express emotions through the use of vivid colors and strong, distorted lines, rather than capturing a likeness or reality. Their work was characterized by intense, violent, and non-naturalistic colors, painted in a textural manner.
The first group of Expressionists, called Die Brucke (The Bridge), was formed in Dresden in 1905, by Ernst Kirchner, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and Erich Heckel. The other major Expressionist group was called Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). Other prominent Expressionists include Wassily Kandinsky, Max Beckmann, Emil Nolde, and Egon Schiele.
Expressionism is the opposite of Impressionism, which emphasized painting what the artist observed. The work of Vincent van Gogh had a lot of influence on artists who are now classified as Expressionists.
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