Expressionism

[ ik-spresh-uh-niz-uhm ]

noun

1. Fine Arts.
   1. (usually lowercase) a manner of painting, drawing, sculpting, etc., in which forms derived from nature are distorted or exaggerated and colors are intensified for emotive or expressive purposes.
   2. a style of art developed in the 20th century, characterized chiefly by heavy, often black lines that define forms, sharply contrasting, often vivid colors, and subjective or symbolic treatment of thematic material.
   3. German Ex·pres·si·o·nis·mus [eks-p, r, es-ee-oh-, nis, -m, oo, s]. modern art, especially the experimental or nonacademic styles of contemporary art.
2. (often lowercase) Theater. a style of playwriting and stage presentation stressing the emotional content of a play, the subjective reactions of the characters, symbolic or abstract representations of reality, and nonnaturalistic techniques of scenic design.
3. Literature. a technique of distorting objects and events in order to represent them as they are perceived by a character in a literary work.
4. (usually lowercase) a phase in the development of early 20th-century music marked by the use of atonality and complex, unconventional rhythm, melody, and form, intended to express the composer's psychological and emotional life.

expressionism

/ ɪkˈsprɛʃəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. sometimes capital an artistic and literary movement originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, which sought to express emotions rather than to represent external reality: characterized by the use of symbolism and of exaggeration and distortion

expressionism

1. An artistic style that departs from the conventions of realism (see also realism ) and naturalism (see also naturalism ) and seeks to convey inner experience by distorting rather than directly representing natural images. The highly personal visions communicated in the paintings of Vincent van Gogh are early examples of expressionism. Edvard Munch and Georges Rouault are considered expressionist painters.

Derived Forms

• exˌpressionˈistic, adjective
• exˈpressionist, nounadjective

Other Words From

• Ex·pres·sion·ist noun adjective
• Ex·pres·sion·is·tic [ik-spresh-, uh, -, nis, -tik], adjective
• Ex·pres·sion·is·ti·cal·ly adverb
• an·ti·ex·pres·sion·ism noun
• an·ti·ex·pres·sion·ist noun adjective
• an·ti·ex·pres·sion·is·tic adjective
• non·ex·pres·sion·is·tic adjective
• pro·ex·pres·sion·ism noun
• pro·ex·pres·sion·ist noun adjective
• pro·ex·pres·sion·is·tic adjective
• sem·i·ex·pres·sion·is·tic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Expressionism¹

1905–10; < German Expressionismus See expression, -ism

Example Sentences

An artistic style that has been compared to Cubist Expressionism was also discovered across the site.

From The Daily Beast

Di Bello described the color-splashed works as “abstract expressionism” with “surrealist” methods.

From The Daily Beast

It was his mix of expressionism and surrealism, however, that allowed Freud a legacy of admiration rather than notoriety.

From The Daily Beast

The committee later relented, declaring it a work of expressionism.

From The Daily Beast

At the most fundamental level, Abstract Expressionism evokes existential angst for instance, and Pop Art satirizes consumerism.

From The Daily Beast