Expression and Expressionism

I've just finished the chapter on Expressionism, and this explores some of the issues and debates relating to what has come to be termed 'Expressionist' art in the period from 1905 to the outbreak of the First World War. Three main groups of artists were identified: the Brucke ('Bridge) in Dresden, the Fauves ('Wild Beasts') in France and the Blauer Reiter ('Blue Rider') in Munich.

The picture is Franz Marc's The Tower of the Blue Horses 1913 (Course Book 2 page 50)

A pivotal essay is by Henri Matisse, Notes of a Painter (Art in Theory 1B6 pages 69 - 75) in which he states:

'Expression, for me does not reside in passions glowing in a human face or manifested by violent movement. The entire arrangement of my picture is expressive: the place occupied by the figures, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything has its 'share'. Composition is the art of arranging in a decorative manner the diverse elements at the painter's command to express his feelings'.

Just a few links relating to Expressionism and the three main groups of artists.

Expressionism - Wikipedia
Expressionism - The Tate Glossary
Expressionism - Artcyclopedia
Expressionism - Artfile

Three groups discussed
Die Brucke - The Bridge - founded in Dresden in June 1905
The Fauves - French for Wild Beasts.
More on The Fauves
The Blauer Reiter
Franz Marc and The Blue Rider