resulted in the works of twenty-seven members being rejected and the impres
sionists found themselves superseded by a younger generation who championed the cause of expressionism, a movement
whose aim was entirely subjective — all efforts being concentrated upon symbolism rather than representation — colour and form becoming merely media for senti
mental suggestion. Where impressionism had visualised an object, expressionism saw only an event. Its motifs were apparently catastrophic — with land heaving, mountains toppling, water struggling with land, houses and streets swaying, forms stumbling one upon the other and a riot of colour creating only havoc in an already
stormy scene. Expressionism was not content to present its subject in a natural form, but in order to build up its scheme, it went so far as to introduce deformities, the decisive factor in the elemental con
struction being colour, but there was no diffusion of light, nor was anyattempt made to break up the tones or distinguish values:
it was simply applied in broad, heavy and glaring splashes.
One can easily understand how the tropics have proved such an attraction for the expressionistic landscape painter, and it is not surprising to find Max Pechstein and Emil Nolde following Gau
guin to the South Seas and bringing back with them wonderful visions of tropical
scenes, which are, however, always wrapped in mysticism or fairy-lore — indeed, the simplest subjects have furnished an unearthly or ghostly motif, for the whole generation of expressionists is born of romanticism. But their inter
pretation is not contemplative romance,
pure and simple, such as is dreamed of in woody silences; on the contrary, it is
restless and full of excitement — even explosive.
The movement, however, became so strong that it was bound to find an outlet in other directions as well, and Cézanne s work with its clear, logical construction and perfect distribution of colour exercised no small influence on the school. This
“DACHSTEIN AM GOSAUSEE” BY WOLF ROEHRICHT
“WALCHENSEE. ” BY
LOVIS CORINTH
sionists found themselves superseded by a younger generation who championed the cause of expressionism, a movement
whose aim was entirely subjective — all efforts being concentrated upon symbolism rather than representation — colour and form becoming merely media for senti
mental suggestion. Where impressionism had visualised an object, expressionism saw only an event. Its motifs were apparently catastrophic — with land heaving, mountains toppling, water struggling with land, houses and streets swaying, forms stumbling one upon the other and a riot of colour creating only havoc in an already
stormy scene. Expressionism was not content to present its subject in a natural form, but in order to build up its scheme, it went so far as to introduce deformities, the decisive factor in the elemental con
struction being colour, but there was no diffusion of light, nor was anyattempt made to break up the tones or distinguish values:
it was simply applied in broad, heavy and glaring splashes.
One can easily understand how the tropics have proved such an attraction for the expressionistic landscape painter, and it is not surprising to find Max Pechstein and Emil Nolde following Gau
guin to the South Seas and bringing back with them wonderful visions of tropical
scenes, which are, however, always wrapped in mysticism or fairy-lore — indeed, the simplest subjects have furnished an unearthly or ghostly motif, for the whole generation of expressionists is born of romanticism. But their inter
pretation is not contemplative romance,
pure and simple, such as is dreamed of in woody silences; on the contrary, it is
restless and full of excitement — even explosive.
The movement, however, became so strong that it was bound to find an outlet in other directions as well, and Cézanne s work with its clear, logical construction and perfect distribution of colour exercised no small influence on the school. This
“DACHSTEIN AM GOSAUSEE” BY WOLF ROEHRICHT
“WALCHENSEE. ” BY
LOVIS CORINTH