Expressionism

[ ik-spresh-uh-niz-uh m ]

/ ɪkˈsprɛʃ əˌnɪz əm /

noun

Fine Arts.

(usually lowercase) a manner of painting, drawing, sculpting, etc., in which forms derived from nature are distorted or exaggerated and colors are intensified for emotive or expressive purposes.
a style of art developed in the 20th century, characterized chiefly by heavy, often black lines that define forms, sharply contrasting, often vivid colors, and subjective or symbolic treatment of thematic material.
German Ex·pres·si·o·nis·mus [eks-pres-ee-oh-nis-moo s] /ɛksˌprɛs i oʊˈnɪs mʊs/. modern art, especially the experimental or nonacademic styles of contemporary art.

(often lowercase) Theater. a style of playwriting and stage presentation stressing the emotional content of a play, the subjective reactions of the characters, symbolic or abstract representations of reality, and nonnaturalistic techniques of scenic design.

Literature. a technique of distorting objects and events in order to represent them as they are perceived by a character in a literary work.

(usually lowercase) a phase in the development of early 20th-century music marked by the use of atonality and complex, unconventional rhythm, melody, and form, intended to express the composer's psychological and emotional life.

Origin of Expressionism

1905–10; < German Expressionismus See expression, -ism

Related forms

Ex·pres·sion·ist, noun, adjectiveEx·pres·sion·is·tic, adjectiveEx·pres·sion·is·ti·cal·ly, adverban·ti·ex·pres·sion·ism, noun

an·ti·ex·pres·sion·ist, noun, adjectivean·ti·ex·pres·sion·is·tic, adjectivenon·ex·pres·sion·is·tic, adjectivesem·i·ex·pres·sion·is·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for expressionist

A 1984 self-portrait by the great Indonesian expressionist Affandi, who died in 1990.
Indonesia's Master Lays It On Thick|Blake Gopnik|January 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
An installation by South African animator William Kentridge, vaguely on the subject of time, recalls 1920s expressionist theater.
The Art Exhibition Documenta Contains Almost Too Much Good Art to Experience|Blake Gopnik|June 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
One porter is discovered leaning against an automatic sweet machine designed by an Expressionist sculptor.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, April 14, 1920|Various
An expressionist is one who expresses himself at all times in any way that is necessary and peculiar to him.
Adventures in the Arts|Marsden Hartley

He is having it done into an expressionist placard and it will undoubtedly restore his standing with the Council of Ten.
Erik Dorn|Ben Hecht

British Dictionary definitions for expressionist

expressionism

/ (ɪkˈsprɛʃəˌnɪzəm) /

noun

(sometimes capital) an artistic and literary movement originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, which sought to express emotions rather than to represent external reality: characterized by the use of symbolism and of exaggeration and distortion

Derived Formsexpressionist, noun, adjectiveexpressionistic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for expressionist

expressionist

an artist who seeks to portray the emotional effect of the subject, first recorded 1850 (adj.), from expression + -ist. Modern sense is from 1914, from expressionism (from 1908 as an artistic style or movement).

Culture definitions for expressionist

expressionism

An artistic style that departs from the conventions of realism (see also realism) and naturalism (see also naturalism) and seeks to convey inner experience by distorting rather than directly representing natural images. The highly personal visions communicated in the paintings of Vincent van Gogh are early examples of expressionism. Edvard Munch and Georges Rouault are considered expressionist painters.