expressionism

/ɛkˈsprɛʃɪnɪzəm/

/ɛkˈsprɛʃɪnɪzəm/

Other forms: expressionisms

Expressionism is a style of art dating from the early 1900s that emphasizes feelings and impressions over realism. You'll see many examples of expressionism in most large art museums.

Some of the most famous followers of expressionism included Van Gogh, Matisse, Gaugin, and Kandinsky — all of whom can be called expressionists. This style of painting began around the turn of the 20th century and was popular for about 30 years, with the term expressionism eventually describing other art forms, including poetry and dance. Expressionism comes from expression, which was used in the art world to mean "way of expressing."

Definitions of expressionism

1. noun

   an art movement early in the 20th century; the artist's subjective expression of inner experiences was emphasized; an inner feeling was expressed through a distorted rendition of reality
   types:

   neoexpressionism

   an art movement based on expressionism; developed in 1980s in Europe and United States; crudely drawn garish paintings

   supra expressionism

   a movement that tried to go beyond expressionism

   type of:

   art movement, artistic movement

   a group of artists who agree on general principles