Exploring the works of German Expressionist artists and their impact on society
Franz Marc, Dreaming Horses, 1913
After making a connection with Clara Weber, through the help of Fulbright Germany, my students and I decided to delve into one of the nation's most well-known art styles: Expressionism. Expressionism, or the pure expression of emotion and feeling resonates well with high school students. They love the emotive brushstrokes, the bold colors, and of course the raw emotion tied to each piece.
To begin our study we first had to look at the political environment that spurred these artists to create, to share their voice with the public. Students were
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Creating their own expressionist pieces. Either an emotion they were feeling strongly, or create an image that evokes a strong emotional response in the viewer.
talked about color theory and how colors not only have emotions tied to them, but that collections of colors can elicit specific feelings different from each individually.
practiced making brushstrokes that also emit an emotion. What do flowing curved lines feel like as opposed to the quick slashes many expressionist painters used?
Expressionism, like many modern art styles, can seem simplistic at first view. Students quickly learned that what may look initially like a series of rapid strokes of random color actually belies a labor intensive, emotional process of layering color, thought, and communication. Most of the kids were pretty pleased with their results, although a number have decided to stick with realism in the future.
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