EXPRESSIONISM 1901 1927 Daniel Sobol ToExpressionism Expressionism is

EXPRESSIONISM 1901 -1927 Daniel Sobol

To…Expressionism! • Expressionism is a term that was first coined in 1901 to distinguish paintings done by neoimpressionists who tried to capture the appearance of objects under a particular light and moment • Expressionism in painting emphasizes strong inner feelings about an object • Portrays life as modified, twisted, and distorted by the artist’s personal perception of reality • Does not try to imitate reality, but transform it.

So what is expressionism? • Expressionism seeks to discover and examine the essence of life, the internal, eternal meanings of facts, objects, and people. • Expressionism seeks to find a deeper reality than on the surface • Expressionism is not sight; it is vision

Expression in Visual Arts: Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh 1889

Madonna- Edvard Munch, 1894

The Tempest- Oscar Kokoschka, 1914

The Scream- Edvard Munch, 1893 This painting in often interpreted as an EXPRESSION of Munch’s personal torment and mental illness.

Expressionism and Film Noir • German Expressionism sprung a small, distinct period of filmmaking, which included stylized representations of reality – The soul in anguish • Exaggerated shadowing, high-contrast lighting, skewed sets, and off-kilter camera angles visualize psychological states. • The Cabinet of Dr. Cilgari, 1919 - First attempt to create expressionist film

The Cabinet of Dr. Cilgari

Franz Kafka • Born July 3, 1883 in Prague, Bohemia • Grew up in a middle-class Jewish family, with the constant presence of his domineering shopkeeper father. • Received a degree in law in 1906 – Could sustain a livelihood and have time to write. • 1917 - Kafka diagnosed with tuberculosis, spends most of his time in sanatoriums and health facilities. • Dies June 3, 1924

Kafka’s life as reflected in his writing • Kafka lived in emotional dependence on his parents – In much of his writing, a sense of impotence (even in rebellion) underlies thematically. • Kafka had many fruitless love affairs; his values contradicting between an utter aversion to intercourse and a fondness for prostitutes. – In his writing, Kafka connects sex with guilt, treating it as an attractive and enticing abomination.

Some of Kafka’s Expressionist Works • The Judgment- 1913 – The story of a rebellious son who is condemned to suicide by his overbearing father • The Metamorphosis- 1915 – The story of a son, an outsider, who undergoes a physical and symbolic transformation into a repulsive and fatally wounded insect. • The Penal Colony-1919 – The story of a torture machine, its operators, and its victims. Parallels are made to a person’s inner morality, guilt, and retribution; the age of World War One.

• Kafka’s concise writing style sharply contrasts the complexity, anxiety, absurdity, and powerfully oppressive symbols of torment that fill his vision as a writer. • Kafka’s writing both elicits and defeats any attempt at conclusive explanation and is thus expressionistically subjective.