Expressionism Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas.[1][2] Expressionist artists sought to express meaning[3] or emotional experience rather than physical reality.[3][4] Origin of the term[edit] In 1905, a group of four German artists, led by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, formed Die Brücke (the Bridge) in the city of Dresden. This was arguably the founding organization for the German Expressionist movement, though they did not use the word itself. A few years later, in 1911, a like-minded group of young artists formed Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) in Munich. "View of Toledo" by El Greco, 1595/1610 has been indicated to have a particularly striking resemblance to 20th-century expressionism. Expressionist-Visual artists[edit] In other arts[edit] Dance[edit]
Gustav Klimt Life and work[edit] Early life and education[edit] Gustav Klimt was born in Baumgarten, near Vienna in Austria-Hungary, the second of seven children—three boys and four girls. Klimt lived in poverty while attending the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts (Kunstgewerbeschule), where he studied architectural painting until 1883. In 1888 Klimt received the Golden Order of Merit from Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria for his contributions to murals painted in the Burgtheater in Vienna. During this period Klimt fathered at least fourteen children.[5] Vienna secession years[edit] In 1894, Klimt was commissioned to create three paintings to decorate the ceiling of the Great Hall of the University of Vienna. All three paintings were destroyed by retreating SS forces in May 1945.[9][10] In 1902, Klimt finished the Beethoven Frieze for the Fourteenth Vienna Secessionist exhibition, which was intended to be a celebration of the composer and featured a monumental polychrome sculpture by Max Klinger.
Egon Schiele Egon Schiele (German: [ˈʃiːlə] ( ) ƩEE-lə; June 12, 1890 – October 31, 1918) was an Austrian painter. A protégé of Gustav Klimt, Schiele was a major figurative painter of the early 20th century. His work is noted for its intensity, and the many self-portraits the artist produced. Early life[edit] Schiele aged 16, self-portrait from 1906 Schiele was born in 1890 in Tulln, Lower Austria. Self portrait Academy of Fine Arts[edit] When Schiele was 15 years old, his father died from syphilis, and he became a ward of his maternal uncle, Leopold Czihaczec, also a railway official.[1] Although he wanted Schiele to follow in his footsteps, and was distressed at his lack of interest in academia, he recognised Schiele's talent for drawing and unenthusiastically allowed him a tutor; the artist Ludwig Karl Strauch. Klimt and first exhibitions[edit] In 1907, Schiele sought out Gustav Klimt. Controversy, success and marriage[edit] Schiele's drawing of his prison cell in Neulengbach Edith Schiele 1915
Alphonse Mucha Alfons Maria Mucha[1][2] (Czech: [ˈalfons ˈmuxa] ( ); 24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), often known in English and French as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist,[3] known best for his distinct style. He produced many paintings, illustrations, advertisements, postcards, and designs. Early years[edit] Alphonse Maria Mucha was born in the town of Ivančice, Moravia (the present Czech Republic). Mucha moved to Paris in 1887, and continued his studies at Académie Julian and Académie Colarossi. Poster design by Mucha for Cycles Perfecta (1902) Marriage[edit] Mucha married Maruška (Marie/Maria) Chytilová on 10 June 1906, in Prague. Le Pater[edit] The Slav Epic[edit] A study of a man sitting 1891 Mucha spent many years working on what he considered his life's fine art masterpiece, The Slav Epic (Slovanská epopej), a series of twenty huge paintings depicting the history of the Czech and the Slavic people in general, bestowed to the city of Prague in 1928. Death[edit]
Jean-Michel Basquiat Jean-Michel Basquiat (December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist, musician and producer.[1] Basquiat first achieved notoriety as part of SAMO, an informal graffiti group who wrote enigmatic epigrams in the cultural hotbed of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City during the late 1970s where the hip hop, post-punk and street art movements had coalesced. By the 1980s he was exhibiting his Neo-expressionist and Primitivist paintings in galleries and museums internationally. The Whitney Museum of American Art held a retrospective of his art in 1992. Early life[edit] Jean-Michel Basquiat, born in Brooklyn, New York, was the second of four children of Matilda Andrades (July 28, 1934 – November 17, 2008)[4] and Gerard Basquiat (1930 – July 7, 2013).[5][6] He had two younger sisters: Lisane, born in 1964, and Jeanine, born in 1967.[4] In September 1968, when Basquiat was about 8, he was hit by a car while playing in the street. Basquiat dropped out of Edward R.
Antoni Gaudí Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (Catalan pronunciation: [ənˈtɔni ɣəwˈði]; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Spanish Catalan architect from Reus, who was the figurehead of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família. Much of Gaudí's work was marked by his big passions in life: architecture, nature, religion.[3] Gaudí studied every detail of his creations, integrating into his architecture a series of crafts in which he was skilled: ceramics, stained glass, wrought ironwork forging and carpentry. He introduced new techniques in the treatment of materials, such as trencadís, made of waste ceramic pieces. After a few years, under the influence of neo-Gothic art and Oriental techniques, Gaudí became part of the Modernista movement which was reaching its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Biography[edit] Birth, childhood and studies[edit] Personal life[edit]
Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (Dutch: [ˈvɪnsɛnt ˈʋɪləm vɑn ˈɣɔx] ( );[note 1] 30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Post-Impressionist painter of Dutch origin whose work—notable for its rough beauty, emotional honesty, and bold color—had a far-reaching influence on 20th-century art. After years of painful anxiety and frequent bouts of mental illness,[1][2] he died aged 37 from a gunshot wound, generally accepted to be self-inflicted (although no gun was ever found).[3][note 2] Letters Vincent c. 1873 aged 19. This photograph was taken at the time when he was working at the branch of Goupil & Cie's gallery in The Hague.[5][6] Although many are undated, art historians have generally been able to put them in chronological order. Biography Early life Vincent c. 1866, approx. age 13 As a child, Vincent was serious, silent, and thoughtful. The house "Holme Court" in Isleworth, where Van Gogh stayed in 1876 [23][24] Van Gogh's religious zeal grew until he felt he had found his true vocation. Emerging artist
Edvard Munch Edvard Munch (Norwegian: [ˈɛdvɑʈ muŋk] ( Life[edit] Childhood[edit] Edvard Munch was born in a rustic farmhouse in the village of Ådalsbruk in Løten, Norway, to Laura Catherine Bjølstad and Christian Munch, the son of a priest. The family moved to Christiania (now Oslo) in 1864 when Christian Munch was appointed medical officer at Akershus Fortress. Christian's positive behavior toward his children was overshadowed by his morbid pietism. Christian Munch's military pay was very low, and his attempts at developing a private side practice failed, keeping his family in perennial poverty.[2] They moved frequently from one sordid flat to another. Studies and influences[edit] Self Portrait with Skeleton Arm, 1895 In 1879, Munch enrolled in a technical college to study engineering, where he excelled in physics, chemistry, and math. After numerous experiments, Munch concluded that the Impressionist idiom did not allow sufficient expression. Paris[edit] Berlin[edit] Edvard Munch 1902 The Scream[edit]