Characteristics of Expressionism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Characteristics of Expressionism - Term Paper Example The paper "Characteristics of Expressionism" investigates the main features of expressionism. The four paintings that evoke strong emotions and are representative of Expressionism have been chosen from Van Gogh, El Greco, Edvard Munch, and Picasso. Starry Night is one of Vincent Van Gogh’s famous paintings. Although much ado has been made about the stars and moon in this painting, the ominous black tree figure can also hold meaning. El Greco’s View of Toledo has been compared to Starry Night. While there are similarities, the ominous storm approaching the city in El Greco’s painting evokes a fear not found in Van Gogh’s painting. Pablo Picasso’s Guernica is a painting about the German bombing of the Basque town of Guernica. This collision of objects shows the chaos of war. Finally Edvard Munch’s The Scream shows a man with his hands on his cheeks and mouth wide open. This painting stirs up feelings of a primal loss of control ending in a wren ching scream. All of these paintings use different techniques to elicit emotions from the audience. Expressionism is a broad term. The Expressionism movement that produced Expressionism Art was founded in Germany and Austria in the early 20th century. Expressionism Art is any type of art that uses distorted means to express a feeling. While the movement started in the early 20th century, many other artists from the late 19th century were included due to their painting style. Vincent Van Gogh was one of these artists, despite having died before the 20th century.