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The Scream by Edvard Munch
"The Scream" is a painting that is an expressionistic construction of a scream piercing through nature that the artist first hand experienced. There have been four versions of this composition. Some say this painting is one of the most iconic human figures in the history of Western Art. -
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Timeline created by Miranda Sook
In Art and Culture -
Madonna by Edvard Munch
There were several versions painted of this composition, which displays a bare-chested female using oils on canvas. It's said to be depicted as a strange devotional picture that is glorifying corrupt love. It's also looked at as a strong woman. -
Anxiety
Edvard Munch repeated many elemental forms in Anxiety as he did with The Scream, such as the gloomy hues and the intense swirls of concentrically enlarging lines. Anxiety, however, represents a more collective despair rather than an lonely individual. -
Two Women on the Shore
Created by Edvard Munch of Norway. By using few colors, basic shapes, and the rough texture of the woodblock, Munch was said to have "created a disturbing image of the fruitlessness of love and hope." -
The Blue Rider
This oil painting was created by Wassily Kandinsky of Moscow, Russia. Kandinsky was know for using intentional abstractness to allow viewers to participate in the representations of the art. Here many have chose to see a child wrapped in the arms of the rider. -
String Quartets by Arnold Schoenberg
This was written during a very emotional time in the artist's life. He dedicates it to his wife. She was having an affair with their neighbor and friend, artist Richard Gerstle. He used poems and songs and music that he had never heard of before to complete this piece of work. He uses F sharp minor, D minor, E flat minor, and even no key. -
Female Nude
This woodcut on blotting paper was created by the German artist, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner -
Self-Portrait by Marianne von Werefkin
This portrait exemplifies the experimentation of the former group and abstract manipulation of form and color which developed in later years. Her loose and dynamic footwork mimics that of Van Gogh. The tone of this piece is quite clashing. -
Piano Sonata by Alban Berg
This piece of work was actually published in 1910, but commentators believe that he wrote this piece in 1909. It isn't the typical "classical" form and consists of a single movement in key B minor. It was originally intended for multi-movement work but ended up remaining the same. The whole-tone scaled and wandering key centers give it a tone that is a very unstable feeling. -
The Yellow Cow by Franz Marc
In this piece, he is representing femininity and its spirituality is unable to be suppressed or balanced out because of all the crazy colors that are present in the background. He was able to use color in this painting to represent emotion and the contrasting colors represent femininity and masculinity (blue as masculine and yellow as feminine). -
Blue Horses by Franz Marc
This oil on canvas represents three vividly colored blue horses looking down in front of a landscape of rolling red hills. It really stands out because of it's bright primary colors and has a profound sense of emotion. -
Agony by Egon Schiele
This oil painting portrays a death struggle. This work was noted by its viewers for its intensity. The twisted body shapes and expressive lines show a figural distortion. -
Portrait of Wally
An oil painting by Egon Schiele of Austria, Wally was his lover for and model for several years. Walburga "Wally" Neuzil is depicted in many of Schiele's paintings. This painting became part of the collection of the Leopold Museum when it was established by the Austrian government. -
Composition VII by Wassily Kandinsky
Composition VII is an abstract piece of art that was created by using oil on canvas. More than 30 sketches made in watercolors and oil paints precede this painting. The main theme is a vortex of colors and forms, but there is a combination of several themes including Resurrection, the Judgment Day, the Flood, and the Garden of Eden. -
The Fate of Animals by Franz Marc
This oil painting contrasts most of the artist's other works and displays animals in a brutal way rather than a "peaceful" manner that he had previously constructed. The cross created in the background suggests "sacrifice and rebirth". The brown tinted part of the painting in the right-hand corner was restored after a house fire. -
Street, Berlin by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
This oil painting displays a period of loneliness and insecurity. The painting encompasses two well-dressed prostitutes strolling the streets of Berlin. The intense and clashing colors portray excitement and anxiety that comes with the danger of living this lifestyle. -
Farewell by August Macke
This history painting depicts the mood of gloom that settled after the outbreak of WWII. The looming background images with featureless faces follow the approach to abstraction. This is the last painting that Macke completed before his death in 1914. -
In the Style of Kairouan by Paul Klee
This watercolor painting was highly influenced by the expressionism movement. He was also inspired by the quality of light and that's what led him to create this combination of simple colored shapes. This was his first abstract painting. -
Self-Portrait as a Soldier by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
This painting depicts a soldier dressed in a uniform that is standing on the battlefield. It's clear that this soldier does not have hands, and he is standing with this bloody amputated arm with a nude figure behind him. -
Cathedral, Program of the State Bauhaus in Weimar by Lyonel Feininger
This woodcut piece is complemented by several modern elements that he used to create a vertical and semi-abstract composition. This "cathedral" is symbolizing the unification of fine arts under one roof. -
Stills for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari by Robert Weine
This film is a combination of three works. It is a series that details the evolution of art house films and their impact on art and the cinema. This film depicts German Expressionism at its finest by showing how it crossed over into the realm of mainstream media. This film was financially successful and stylistically influential. -
Le docteur à la foire (from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) by Walter Reinmann and Herman Warm
This film tells the story of a man named Francis, who, through flashbacks, starts to remember his terrifying experiences that he had at a carnival where he first encountered the doctor. Walter Reinmann and Herman Warm were hired to come aboard and create the sets. -
Metropolis von Fritz Lang by Heinz Schulz Neudamm
This film tells the story of two worlds- the upper city and the underground city. Apparently, there was some disagreement as to whether or not Metropolis could even be considered an Expressionist film. Though there isn't as much expressionistic imagery, the exaggerated movements of the characters and sharp contrasts between upper and lower city all adhere to expressionist tradition.
