Essay on What Is The Expression Theory Of Art

Artists in the early 1900s commonly utilized techniques of distortion and exaggeration, characteristics of expressionism, to establish the element of emotion. According to Wolf (2017), expressionist artists often incorporate “swirling, swaying, and exaggeratedly executed brushstrokes to convey the turgid emotional state of the artist reacting to the anxieties of the modern world” (p. 1). Amplification of the human figure often evokes strong emotions for audiences of many different cultures. Additionally, the style reflects the consequences of urbanization, such as the alienation of individuals in society (Wolf, 2017). Expressionism allows artists to surpass realism and reflect the tribulations of living in a modern society.

To categorize art by such vague criteria as expression and form would be difficult if it were not for the several prevailing theories presented by Tolstoy and Bell. According to Tolstoy’s theory of expression, something is art only if it successfully does the following. First, it must have been created with the intention of being art and revealed to an audience through a publicly accessible medium, even if the audience is a single individual. These mediums must be physical things such as shapes, actions, or words in order to be available to its viewers. Second, the medium of art must be an individualized work that has not been replicated or mass-produced. Third, he believes that the art must convey the feeling or emotion that the artist experienced while producing the art. This emotion must also be evoked within the audience. Lastly, the work must require self-mediation or clarification in order to be interpreted by said audience as art. As a result, a work is not required to be about something in order to be art.

Art, according to Webster's Dictionary, is a human skill of expression of other objects by painting, drawing, and sculpture. People have used art as a form of expression for a long time. From the Mesopotamian era to the Classical Greeks and the present. Art is expressed in many different ways and styles, and is rapidly changing, one style replacing another. Impressionism and Cubism broke away from the traditional style of painting. They were both looking for a new way to express everyday life. Time is an important tool that is used in Cubism as well as Impressionism. This element is expressed in Claude Monet's Sunrise and Pablo Picasso's Man with a Violin in different ways.

Cynthia Freeland argued that art communicates significance but there is no one precise hypothetical approach that tells us how to best interpret a work of art. Although there are better interpretations of a piece artwork than others, there is no one-way to interpret a single piece of art. The best interpretations understand the background of the artist while also focusing on the style that the artist uses. The emotions and ideas that come from looking at a piece of art work can come from the artist’s perspective of that of the viewer. When understanding the expressionist theory we can look to Freeland’s definition: “expression theory holds that art communicates something in the realm of feelings and emotions” (Freeland, 155). In a broader

Art Leo Tolstoy challenges elite artistic circles through his work, “What is Art.” In it, Tolstoy argues that while many believe that great art is that which only a few “elite” are able to comprehend, truly great art is that which evokes great emotion and feeling in the masses of people. Those who believe that great art is only great because only few understand it are blaming the viewer for not understanding, when Tolstoy actually blames the artist. It is not the fault of the viewer that he or she does not see what the artist sees.

Abstract expressionism, was a movement in American painting that flourished in the 1940s and 1950s, often referred to as the New York School or as Action Painting. Abstract expressionism according to Katy Siegel was a “creative earthquake that altered the landscape of modern art”. This movement had been considered as especially ‘American’ in style, this was because of its attention to the physical adjacency of paint. It had allowed artists to break away from accepted conventions in both technique and subject matter. Abstract expressionism was quite a successful movement and in is success allowed New York to become the centre of modern art at the time, a title previously held by Paris. The works of the movement where highly abstracted, this was used to convey strong emotional or

The Abstract Expressionism brought a new form of art in the 1940s and 1950s where any artist had anything in common of their artwork in this discipline. However, the important characteristic about abstract has been the expression of the artist self to communicate feelings and emotions. Likewise, this art style brought the union of artists who become an inspiration for the young artist generation, and the creation of the Museum of Modern Art

Expressionism is an artistic movement that seeks to express the feelings of the author, not so much the objective representation of reality. The table shows the anguish of the character represented throughout the painting. The landscape is distorted, as if the sound wave cry had damaged the landscape, representing the pain as well as the character. The bridge and the people behind the character are not distorted because they do not feel what the character is going through; the bridge to be a

The times are changing, and the art changes with these times with the people. Every piece of artwork in judgment to apples and oranges such as one piece of art may be enjoyed by one person that might not be appreciated by another person. The current events in a period affect the art. The difference between these two paintings has a lot to do with the time these artists live in because the social movements change people's moods. For example, the Great Depression or more currently the Recession in 2008 when people who love are cannot afford to buy art, because they cannot even pay their mortgage. The expressionism movement was the beginning of the modern contemporary time in comparison to the realism movement are apples and oranges in the 1500s the artist hunt the organic objects they used to put in their pigment.

The "Allegory of Music" a painting by Laurent de la Hyre, a French painter from

Neo-Expressionism revived Australian landscape paintings’ through the reinterpretation of traditional virtuosity and the rejection of minimalistic forms (Atkins 2013, 171) from the late 1960’s through to the early 90’s (Keylor 2007, 904). The new concepts of Expressionism was also inspired by Surrealist themes from the Modernist period as well as mythology, culture, history and the erotic (The Art Story, 2016). Two Australian artists who create a new perception of the Australian landscape by incorporating these techniques and ideas were Peter Booth and Brett Whiteley. Booth’s metamorphic Painting two (1984) (appendix one), and apocalyptic Drawing (Catastrophe with flying insects) (1984) (appendix two), are influenced and explorative of the Australian landscape as well as incorporative of mythology, Surrealist dreams and subjective imagery (Godfrey 2009, 61). Whiteley’s Lavender Bay series of The Balcony 2 (1975) (appendix three) and Big Orange (sunset) (1974) (appendix 4); are expressive of the infamous bay in Sydney, connecting to the Australian landscape, however explorative of different perceptions on a classical image. These two artists both lead astray from the minimalistic techniques of this time, by exploring the Australian landscape through innovative ways of expressive painting.

Tolstoy approaches the aesthetic view of art as a necessity to society. He sees art as one of the fundamental forms of intercourse between mankind. One of the most effective ways to exchange ideas and emotions is through art. It can transcend language, and time to purvey a message in a manor that is unable to be done in any other fashion.

The Expressionist theory of art is that the relationship between the artists, the work of art, and the

Leo Tolstoy’s What is Art? (1896) is a written work about his ideas concerning the nature of art. Tolstoy’s book concerns how art can express ideas of how to act right and what it’s purpose is. According to Tolstoy art is the intentional communication of an emotion from the artist to the audience where the hope is that the audience feels the emotion felt by the artist. This definition of art varies from other philosophies. Tolstoy believes that this type of communication is inevitable, that it is unavoidable, and necessary. Tolstoy’s aesthetic values are based on communication of emotion, which falls in line with Collinwood’s ideas of art, in that art is the release of a pent up emotion.

Art is one of the most magnificent things of this world. People have been inspired by art and have been creating it for ages. Art is a truly magical creation that will continue until the end of time. Throughout history, many different movements of art have been introduced. For example, there was Cubism, American Regionalism, Fauvism, Surrealism, Expressionism, and so on. Each movement was unique and contained fantastic artist who poured their heart and soul into their work. All of the different forms of art vary in color as well as technique. Two essential art movements that have an effect on art today are the Renaissance and Impressionism.