German Expressionism

choreographing at the age of 26, only two years before he attended Bennington School of the Dance. He went to Bennington from 1938 to 1940, and while there he learned about modern dance, and founded an interest in German modern dance in particular. This was likely why Wigman (a prominent German modern choreographer) resonated so well with Nikolais, though not because of the emotional aspect so closely followed by Graham and others- he was interested in the theatrics and the form of the dancers.…

established a republican government called the Weimar Republic to replace the German Empire. However, because it was created in a time of chaos after Germany had lost the World War, the Weimar Republic experienced many problems from the start, including economic disarray and violent uprisings from various groups. In June of 1919, Germany also had to accept the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which reassigned German boundaries and forced Germany to make reparations for starting the war. The…

The earlier art period; Impressionism is a distinctive time in art history that took place from 1870-1890. Artists during this period focused on ordinary subjects and objects found in nature. They paid close attention to optical effects, and how the light reflected off their subjects during different times of the day. Painters during this period were known as “Impressionist’s”. Characteristics of Style An impressionist painting is identified by the characteristics of small, thin yet, visible…

This essay convenes the work of two Austrian artists, Gustav Klimt and his former student Egon Schiele. Both twentieth century artists and both independent in their style, their work together embodies common idiosyncrasies. The two share many qualities in their work, especially a kind of anxiety. Although stylistically, Klimt 's work is formally ordered and decorative while Schiele 's work is unforgiving in its brutality. An example that displays this duality in their work and similar…

Tarsila do Amaral’s “Antropofagia” stands out to me the most as it is the first piece that one sees as they walk in the exhibition. The viewer is taken aback by the vibrant shades of orange that immediately catch their eye. The closer the viewer gets to the painting, the more that they can make out of the simple shapes that are common in Tarsila’s work. These shapes are outlined in darker colors that contrast with the colors of what is behind them. There are two figures sitting side by side in…

Silver lets the characters relax and gives them an invulnerable attitude which is needed during times like WWII. These three colors make several appearances in the book to add semblance to the characters’ lives. Hitler has an overwhelming impact on German citizens. Zusak uses both yellow and silver to equilibrate the black. It takes a lot of hope and sense of security in order to defeat Hitler and the Nazis. Color is a major component in The Book Thief. Zusak uses color not as a description of…

One of Yves Tanguy’s most crucial paintings is Plusieurs ont Vécu (Many Have Lived) (see fig. 1). The medium is oil on canvas and it was painted in Paris is 1939, shortly before Tanguy moved to the United States. Today, this painting is located in the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, CT. The subject of this painting is isolation and is one of Tanguy’s most famous post apocalyptic landscapes. The subject of isolation relates to the feelings of exile Tanguy felt before moving to the…

symbolize The European ideas of that era. The world outside is a blank white, seemingly like the eternal winter, the cold of the people on the eve of war. The Nazis blinding people's thoughts, everything is grey. And Ruiz’s grey castle symbolized German fascism. Once all busy seems to be before the end of the carnival, with the death of Gustave, as at the end of the film only vaguely revealed the advent of the battle of the century, or as The Grand Budapest Hotel decline and slowly lost on the…

An Old Man's Sorrow In the beginning of the twentieth century Pablo Picasso created something called the "blue period." During this period the style of artwork was monochromatic and usually used colors such as dark blue or greens. Use of such colors gave the paintings of the time a gloomy and sorrowful appearance. One of the most well-known paintings of this time is The Old Guitarist. From the stark contrast creates a disjointed message of a young man's mind. Picasso portrays his old man as…

Thomas Cole was one among many pioneers of the Hudson River School of art, an aesthetic movement that took place alongside the American Romantic period. This movement sought to highlight the beauty of natural landscapes through paintings and to accentuate the beauty of nature over industrial and societal progress. However, ancient ruins were of interest to Cole, and many of his European counterparts viewed America’s lack of ruins as a fault. As a result, Cole created the series of paintings, The…