Michaela Filipek, Art: The Mirror of History

The visual arts are a foundation for understanding the human experience, as they are a reflection of the world and the time in which we live. Art enables us to comprehend history and culture. The history of visual art is built upon immensely different movements, each with a variety of influential factors and ideas. Although every movement is separate in its own way, many have common ideas that impact characteristics such as styles, themes, colors, etc. that are incorporated. The biggest ideas of a time period directly influence the art of that time. Due to the repetition of ideas in history, themes and ideas are therefore repeated in visual art. Impressionism and Expressionism are two major art movements of different times that prove patterns in art occur as a result of similar historical ideas and beliefs. Each of these share some common themes in their artwork as a result of the popular beliefs impacting the world at each time.

Impressionism and Expressionism are two of the world’s most well known historical art movements. Scholars and professors can argue on how many major art movements there are, however, these two will never

fail to make the list. Both evolved in Europe during different, but adjacent centuries, and both are seen as significant factors in the development of the artistic movement into modernism (Expressionism). While having their share of differences, Impressionism and Expressionism alike changed the standards of art for the remainder and continuation of art history.

Originating in France in the late 19th century, Impressionism made its first public appearance in the photography studio of Nadar. In 1874, the artists widely known as the “core impressionists” held their first exhibition there in Paris (Impressionism). This exhibit featured the works of thirty artists, including some of the most now-famous names in art, such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, and more. (Impressionism). “The name impressionism was coined by a satirical critic named Louis Leroy following the first impressionist exhibition.” (Rubin). Leroy had been mocking Claude Monet’s painting, Impression: Sunrise, a sketch-like view of the artist’s local harbor. Many critics of that time considered impressionist works as simply unfinished, sloppy, and merely palette scrapings on a canvas (Rubin). They had not yet embraced the free-flowing style used which focused on the effects of constant moving light and color or the modern subjects, as opposed to classical traditions, the impressionists were capturing in their work.

The very beginnings of Expressionism emerged in 1905 when four German architecture students who desired to become painters formed the group Die Brucke, or The Bridge, in the city of Dresden. Later, Expressionism became an all-inclusive movement that brought together painters, sculptors, writers, filmmakers, architects, and musicians. (Expressionism). A major characteristic of expressionist artwork is the style in which it is created. Artists aimed to depict subjective emotions and responses in people rather than objective reality. This was the first movement to put an emphasis on conveying emotion and feeling as opposed to the physical reality of their subjects. The founders of Expressionism became known for their harshness, boldness, and visual intensity (Britannica). “They painted twisted, angular shapes with violent contrasts and pure colors outlined in black…” (Expressionism). Expressionism is considered one of the foremost modernist movements, as it changed the nature and standards of painting, as well the standards of other art forms.

Art gains popularity and recognition when its audience perceives it as relevant. People want to see things that are pleasing to the eye and that they can relate to on some level. The things we see as relevant and important are also the themes we subsume into our art forms. What we see as important always makes its way into our art without fail.

During the latter half of the 19th century (1860-1886), advances in technology

and industrialization influenced the lives of many people. The world was changing without a doubt. Modernity. The modern way of thinking. A concept that crossed every inventor’s, painter’s, writer’s, and producer’s mind. The founders of Impressionism were dissatisfied with the academic teachings on how and when to create art. Instead of painting historical or mythological subject matter with perfect forms and light, they created outdoor scenes with small strokes of pure color in order to capture the transient effects of light, tone, and color (Impressionism). This style was completely unseen before and challenged the idealistic traditions of painting. Impressionists wanted to showcase the beautiful imperfections of our world and the idea that nature and everything around us is incessantly changing. Through their style, they accomplished this. Claude Monet, the man many today consider the Father of Impressionism, stated “For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at any moment.” The Impressionists’ goal in creating their art was to depict what they saw as representations of the changing and advancing world in which they lived.

Similarly, Expressionism came about due to the big social events impacting Germany at the time. In German history, the period between 1900 and 1925 is mostly associated with rapid industrialization. The quickness of this mechanization and urbanization in the country led to a collapse of values (Expressionism Movement Overview). The expressionists created their artwork as a response to their modern lives and as a representation of their frustration and discontent with how they perceived the present and future. In doing this, they distorted and exaggerated their subject matter while painting with dramatic and vivid colors (Expressionism Movement Overview). “The spontaneous, instinctive, and highly emotional qualities of Expressionism have been shared by several subsequent art movements in the 20th century.” (Britannica). The pronounced self-expression and emotion-laden themes of Expressionism differ from the natural setting of Impressionist art, however, the physical style of painting remains quite similar.

Looking at different examples of artwork from each movement, it is clear that the methodology used to create the work was very alike. The application of paint to a canvas, the noticeably small strokes, the variety of colors. Some of the most notable works of Impressionism include, Monet’s Water Lilies series, Edgar Degas’ The Dance Class, Mary Cassatt’s Child Drinking Milk, and hundreds more. The works mentioned all feature varying subject matter but all display the common physical style and painting techniques used by the impressionists. Although the content featured in expressionist works differs from that of impressionists, the literal application and style of painting is noticeably similar. These similar techniques can be seen in some famous works, such as, Franz Marc’s Blue Horses, Ernst, Ludwig Kirchner’s Berlin Street Scene, and his Moonrise: Soldier and Maiden. The

Expressionists used smaller strokes and focused less on realism and more on the purpose of their content, similarly to the Impressionists.

Many early critics of both Impressionism and Expressionism claimed that the artwork of both movements lacked detail, the quality so many many people liked about realism (Impressionism vs. Expressionism). In actuality, neither one lacked in detail.

Their detail was just emphasized on different things than audiences had previously seen, hence making them modernists. The Impressionists used their brushstrokes to convey the fleeting moments of movement and light. The Expressionists used theirs to convey their momentary feelings and emotions toward a subject. This is what they put their attention and detail into. The artists of each movement attended to ensuring the content, or meaning, of their work was comprehensible.

Consistently throughout history, the arts have been our way of documenting the ways we see life and the world around us. From cave paintings, to the Renaissance, to modern art, the visual arts have always had a presence in history and they regularly serve as representations of how people perceive their lives. The repetition of ideas or images in art is a frequent occurrence that is often a result of repeating social ideas and issues transpiring in the world. The basis of patterns, in all contexts and forms, is the occurrence of repetition. Visual art is something that very clearly showcases patterns in history because it is made up of images that we can physically see with our own eyes, making those patterns evident to us.

Because art reflects the world and times we live in, it embodies the ideas we feel are important. Sometimes we, as humans, encounter the same issues we have already dealt with before, and this makes a presence in our art. During the years between 1860-1886 and 1905-1920, people in many countries across the globe, especially the more populous countries in Europe, were dealing with rapid urbanization and industrialization. New ideas and inventions were coming out tirelessly, and the biggest craze was to be as modern as possible. The Impressionists began painting in a new way that had never been seen before in order to be modernists. The Expressionists used Impressionism’s techniques to express their feelings toward the modernized world. The visual art movements of Impressionism and Expressionism emerged in separate, but not too distant, time periods as the result of common worldly influences.

The same ideas and advancements inspired the artists of each movement and played a direct part in the creation of their work. Patterns in art, whether it be visual images, the purpose in its creation, or the content of a work, occur as a result of patterns and repetition in history. When similar ideas are popular or similar events are taking place during different times, it’s always going to make a presence and provide patterns in the art we create.