Focus on: German Expressionism

The course looks into the German Expressionism movement in detail, considering its origins, key works and influence on 20th century art.We will consider the Die Brücke movement, its birth in Dresden and the work of members such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Max Pechstein and Emil Nolde. In contrast, we will also look at Der Blaue Reiter, a broader movement which included the artists Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc and Gabriele Munter, who worked in and around Munich.Exploring the diverse subject matters of German Expressionism, we will focus on the non-Western art of European colonial empires, landscape and abstract painting, ideas around mysticism and Christian mythology. We will also consider the influence of post-impressionist artists such as Van Gogh and Gauguin, as well as Fauvism and Matisse in shaping the movement and its members.