Expressionism painting. Expressionism portraits.

The term Expressionism come into use in 1911, however it is considered that the history of style development dates back to much earlier times. As well as many other artistic styles appearing as a reaction against prevailing standards, Expressionism was also opposed against another styles, realism or naturalism. The style became dominant not in painting only but also in painting, drama, poetry, and cinema. To the forerunners of style such individuals as Georg Büchner's (and his plays of the 1830s), Vincent Van Gogh's (his paintings of the 1880s), the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, the Swedish playwright August Strindberg, and the German playwright Frank Wedekind and many others belong.

In all the media Expressionism served to express subjective feelings and emotions rather than subjective reality. Expressionism painter tries to present an emotional experience in its most compelling form. Expressionism painter is not concerned with reality, but with his emotions. As the inner nature is emphasized, the motional experience is stressed Expressionism prints depict caricatured, exaggerated, distorted subject. Often the term implies emotional angst.

Such manner of painting usually appears under the influence of social upheaval. This tendency can be easily traced, the periods of chaos, wars, disasters, etc. are accompanied by the appearance of innovative movements formed under the influence of such events. The goal of such painting to move the viewer to strong emotions.

The movement started in Germany and gradually spread to another countries. The features of expressionism tradition can be traced in the works of Norris Embry (known as "the first American German Expressionist"), and many others. The influence of the style is really powerful and this fact can be proved by the appearance of distinct movements which are considered a part of Expressionism in the late 20th and early 21st century.

The development of the style is associated with a number of Expressionist groups in painting, the most well-known of which are the Blaue Reiter and Die Brücke, based in Dresden and Bremen correspondingly. There were American Expressionism and the Boston figurative expressionism (Karl Zerbe, Hyman Bloom, Jack Levine, David Aronson, Philip Guston) considered as an integral part of American modernism around the Second World War. The last one figurative expressionism influenced worldwide a large number of artists and movements: New York Figurative Expressionism; Lyrical Abstraction, Tachisme; Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s.

A number of contemporary artists works are created under the influence of such movement as expressionism. Thus, one can easily visit the collection of contemporary Ukrainian artist Valeriy Klinkov works. The artists if the follower of various artistic styles among which there are expressionism, surrealism and some others. Klinkov.com is the place where one can view and obtain the painting directly from the artist.