Expressionism

An art movement that originated from Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Used by artists to arouse emotions, thoughts, and ideas from their artworks' viewers. They also sought to express their own inner feelings or emotional experiences through their artworks, rather than portraying the physical reality. The term "Expressionism" is, however, sometimes mistaken as bearing the meaning of emotional angst.

“	Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible.	”
—Paul Klee.

Strong, bold, and monochromatic colours are used in artworks to intensify the feelings portrayed by the artworks. Artworks having distorted forms of things (human, animals, plant) is a common characteristic of this art movement. Other frequent trait of this movement includes two-dimensional, and without perspective.

Some of the artists from this movement includes

Wassily Kandinsky

El Greco

Paul Klee

Franz Marc

Franz Marc (1880 - 1916) was a German painter and printmaker, one of the key figures during the German Expressionist movement. He discovered a strong affinity for the work of Vincent Van Gogh, who was an Impressionist.

Marc gave an emotional meaning or purpose to the colours he used in his work:-

Blue : Masculinity and spirituality

Yellow : Feminine joy

Red : Violence

Most of his works portray animals in natural scenes. 

Characterized by bright primary colours.

There are profound sense of emotion and thoughts behind his works.

Attracted notice in influential circles.

Artworks: 

The Lamb

Fighting Forms

Deer in The Woods II

The Large Blue Horses

Haystacks in The Snow

Horse in A Landscape

Fate of the Animals/Animal Destinies :

Fate of The Animals

His best known painting.
Marc completed the work in 1913, when "the tension of impending cataclysm had pervaded society", as one art historian noted.

On the rear of the canvas, Marc wrote, "Und Alles Sein ist flammend Leid", meaning "And all being is flaming agony".
Conscripted during World War I, Marc wrote to his wife of the painting, it "is like a premonition of this war - horrible and shattering. I can hardly conceive that I painted it."


Elements of Design
Lines - the path of a point
Diagonal lines are used to create divisions and represent emotional charges of the animals. Lines pointing at different directions create a sense of conflict.


Shapes - perceivable areas.
Not much clarity in shapes. Used to portray a sense of uncertainty and inner conflict.


Value - relative light and darkness
Relatively high contrast of light and dark to convey the dramatic mood.


Colours - basic colour theory
Wide range of colours. Used to represent the many emotions in chaos.


Texture - surface quality
Smooth texture.


Alignment - lining of elements
The artist has used the oblique arrangement for the alignment of the work to suggest movement and action.


Proportion - relative size of the object
The visual elements in the work has almost the same proportion as each other. However, a little more emphasis is placed on the blue deer in the middle because the size is larger as compared to others.


Eye movement - the visual path our eye will follow
Basically, the work directs us to see it in a circular movement, be it in a clockwise direction or anti-clockwise.


Principles of Design
Hierarchy
There is not much hierarchy, but the focus is slightly more on the blue deer.


Balance - equalizing the visual weight of elements
There is not much symmetric balance in this work. However, the balance between each portion is quite well spread.


Proximity


Rhythm/repetition
There are a few repetition of jagged edges, creating a sense of torn emotions.


Scale - overall size


Unity/variety
There are much usage of variation in this work, especially in the use of colours, shapes, and lines. However, there is also a sense of unity as all parts of the work work together to provide a sense of togetherness.


Other Expressionism Artworks

The Scream by Edvard Munch

Nollendorfplatz by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

Perceptual vs. Conceptual

"In practice, perceptual art may be interpreted as the engagement of multi-sensory experiential stimuli combined with the multiplicity of interpretive meanings on the part of an observer. Sometimes, the role of observer is obscured as members of the public may unwittingly or unknowingly be participants in the creation of the artwork itself. It is very often what is generally called "performance art."

"In conceptual art, the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art. - Sol LeWitt, "Paragraphs on Conceptual Art", Artforum June 1967. "

Basically, perceptual artworks stimulate the viewer's sensory organs, creating an illusion as though being in another place. Optical illusions are also part of perceptual arts, except the only sensory organ that is triggered is the eyes. Sometimes, as a result of the play of light, elements in the drawings may produce an effect of extra space, creating a dimension when there are none.

Conceptual artworks, on the other hand, have a meaning behind them. They makes you think and ponder about the issue(s) behind the artworks. There are also some artist that draws based on a general concept instead of a specific idea. There are some about societal issues, and some are based on personal emotions.

Personally, I like conceptual arts and designs more. This is because conceptual artworks stimulate our thoughts, and makes us think about the meaning behind artwork. More often than not, the meaning behind the artworks get misinterpreted. At least, more or less a little. However, the main aim is fulfilled : getting people to think. In the modern day society, less and less people are caring about the issues revolving around them, much less even think about them. Thus, these artworks will make the society be more aware of the things happening around them, and hopefully, do something to make earth a better living place.

Interest. Dreams. Aspiration.

There are so many things that interest me in the world, where do I even begin?
Music sparks up my interest the most, and that's why I chose to learn piano at a young age. I still have the urge to pick up guitar, drums, and basically any other musical instrument that catches my eye.
People who dance will basically catch my eye, as that is another major thing that I intend to learn.
Thrilling stuffs that scares people away such as rock climbing, bungee jumping, and skydiving will normally makes my heart beat rate go faster and I will be one of the firsts to try out the new thing.

When I was young, I was brought up to believe that jobs like doctors and lawyers are the best ones, thus making me putting "Doctor" in the ambition list when I was in primary school.
However, as time passed, I realized that even though I am interested in Science subjects such as Physics, I do not want to take Science as my career.
Instead, I would love to pilot a plane, and fly high above in the clouds, enjoying the freedom...
However, along the way, I gained short-sight, and am marked as unqualified for the job :(
So I searched my interests again, and lo behold! I want to join the media industry!
Somehow or another, I find it way much cooler being in the backstage production crew, rather than being on the front-line.

Currently, my main goal for this year would be to learn as much as I can to get me into the amazing industry of media.
It would be an extra bonus for me if I can finish up my first year subjects with a good enough CGPA score to get me a scholarship through to next year.