Expressionism is a European movement, which occurred between the late 19th century and the early 20th century. In contrast to Impressionism, which represented the sensuality of impressions, this art style sought an art of emotional expression, dominated by subjective feelings, strong colors, bold outlines, expressive power of lines and abstracting simplification of the objects.
A powerful image of Expressionism in Germany is the rebellion against the academic standards that prevailed in Europe since the Renaissance. Images should no longer follow aesthetic forms but show elementary experiences of reality as strong and original as possible. The art of the Middle Ages appeared stimulating, with unrealistic figures and color tones, as well as antique characters and demons.
The style of Expressionism was created by the art community of "The Bridge", composed of different artists, such as Kirchner, Heckel, Schmidt- Rottluff and Bleyl, and it was founded in 1905. In the same year in France, Fauvism was developed, but it lacked the international recognition.
In 1911, Kandinsky and Marc founded "The Blue Rider", which included Macke, Jawlensky, Münter, Klee and other artists. The goal of this group was to break the existing boundaries of artistic expression, which contributed to the creation of abstract painting.