Expressionistische

Expressionistische, in English often rendered as expressionistic, is the adjective used for art and literature associated with Expressionism, a movement that emerged in Germany and Austria in the early 20th century. Expressionistic works focus on subjective experience and emotional truth rather than outward appearances, often using distorted forms, bold, dynamic brushwork, or unnatural colors to convey inner states.

The movement arose from reactions to modern urban life, industrialization, and the social tensions surrounding World War I. It quickly spread across painting, sculpture, literature, theater, and cinema, with regional centers in Berlin, Dresden, and Munich.

Visual artists founded influential groups such as Die Brücke (The Bridge, 1905) and Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider, 1911). They favored simplified or angular forms, strong contrasts, and an expressive drive intended to evoke emotion. In literature and poetry, expressionistic writers sought to unleash raw mood, often exploring alienation, spirituality, and psychological conflict. In music, some composers pursued heightened expressivity and atonality linked to Expressionist ideas.

In cinema, German expressionist film used stylized sets, chiaroscuro lighting, and distorted perspectives to reflect inner turmoil, with films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) and Nosferatu (1922) among the early landmarks. While the movement's peak was roughly the 1910s to early 1920s, its influence extended to later modernist currents and to international art.

Expressionistische work declined as a cohesive movement after 1920, giving way to fragmentation into various national and medial currents, yet it left a lasting impact on 20th-century art, architecture, theater, and film.