ExpressionismIt is difficult to group artists according to style in the 20th c. Each artist was trying to develop an individual style different from all other artists. But certain characteristics do group artists together for the sake of organization and study. The term Expressionist art refers to an attitude or philosophy of art rather than a style, because artists of many styles can be expressionistic in their work. The expressionist artists working at the beginning of the 20th century were not interested in naturalism. They sought a means to express _________ states in their work as well as to portray the many stresses brought on by life in the modern world. Fauvism and German Expressionism dominate in Europe. In the Americas, Mexican artists developed their own sense of Expressionism.Fresco Diego Rivera, The Making of a Fresco

Showing the Building of a City, 1931. Fresco, 23’ by 30’Rivera studied in Paris and knew Picasso and the rest of the artists in Paris creating the newest forms of visual expression (avant-garde). He returned to Mexico in 1921 to become actively involved in politics. Influenced by simple outlined forms of Gauguin and his own cultural heritage of Mayan and Aztec sculpture, Rivera developed a powerful and unique painting style. Rivera revived the ________ technique, which had not been used extensively for centuries, and put his ideas on public walls for all to see.By the late 1920’s Rivera’s murals were well known in the United States. One of his numerous commissions was for a mural for the San Francisco Art Institute. The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City was executed from April to June 1931. The mural’s theme is the design and construction of the modern _______ city in the United States. The activities of workers and planners, both above and below ground, are seen through a scaffold that supports a fresco painter (Rivera himself) and his assistants. The large helmeted worker in the background is sovereign in this fresco. Rivera paints industry in an idealized setting where everyone works in harmony together.

The Fauves (Fauvism) 1. Henri Matisse, The Red Studio, 1911. Oil on canvas 71 by 86”2. Henri Matisse, Beasts of the Sea, 1950.

Paper on canvas (collage), 116” by 60”In the early 20th c in Paris young artists were greatly impressed by the freedom, color, and individual character of works by Cezanne, van Gogh and GauguinThe work by these young artists was called that of “wild beasts” by critics. The French word for beasts is Fauves, and thus Fauvism.Henri Matisse felt the urge to paint while studying to become a lawyer.He used _______ colors and he simplified complex subjects. Matisse wanted to express himself with simple _____and ______ rather than shading and perspective. In The Red Studio Matisse creates a flattened effect, enhanced by the lack of shadow and value changes. On the walls are a number of his Fauvist paintings from the previous years. Renaissance painting concepts are almost completely eliminated and a brilliant, personal quality emerges.In his later years (ill and confined to bed), Matisse experimented with collage-pinning and pasting brightly colored flat shapes on contrasting backgrounds.

German Expressionism Two groups Die Brucke (The Bridge) and Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider).

Die Brucke rejected academic training in art and all traditional forms of expression. They revived avid interest in the woodcut and other graphic means of expression. They emphasized violent colors and distortion of features. They also studied African art in depth, especially the expressive masks and carvings.

Der Blaue Reiter were not social revolutionaries, but these strong individual artists exerted a powerful influence on 20th century art.

Kirchner, The Street, 1913. Oil on canvas, 47” by 35”.The leader of Die Brucke was Ernst Kirchner. He insisted, “art depends on inspiration and not on technique.” In his early paintings, such as The Street, he worked in flat color areas with bright hues and heavy black shapes. Sharp, _____shapes and vivid colors express the tension and agitation of the street. There is isolation and loneliness even in such crowded conditions.Franz Marc, The Yellow Cow, 1911. Oil on canvas, 55 by 74”.Franz Marc was part of The Blue Rider group. Marc painted many different subjects, but his animal paintings are of major importance. Marc used brilliant color in a symbolic and arbitrary way. He combined color with shape and _____ to dramatize the integration of all creatures in nature. The Yellow Cow looks happy and fills the picture with powerful movement and an active shape.Kandinsky, Study for Composition No. 2, 1909-1910. Oil on canvas, 51 by 38”Kandinsky was also part of The Blue Rider group. He is credited with painting the first completely nonobjective painting in about 1910. His early paintings were similar to the Fauves, with recognizable houses and trees painted in vivid colors. The Shapes in Study for Composition No.2 are already quite abstract, but many forms are still recognizable. Gradually, he simplified and abstracted these features until only ____, ____ and _____ were left. Certain kinds of lines and various colors had personal meaning to Kandinsky. He wrote that to him “blue is soft and round while yellow is sharp.” He developed his own personal language of color and shape to express his feelings. His influence became very strong in the Abstract Expressionist movement following WWII.