Content: Impressionist & Expressionist Is there more than one way to interpret a work of art? There is no absolute right or wrong way to look at art. Most masterpieces have the power to evoke a broad range of reactions, and have kept art historians guessing for centuries. Artists often communicate things they did not originally contemplate, so their artworks take on a life of their own separate from what the artist may have intended. This is where you come in as an informed viewer: the associations you make with a work of art may uncover a whole new layer of meaning. Behind the scenes There's a lot more to the artistic process than paper, paint, and wood. When they're creating art, artists put to use their expertise with their materials, trips to museums, early influences, schooling, and personal experiences entirely unrelated to art. All of these factors inform artists' responses to a subject, and make each artist's response entirely unique. From the infinite number of possible artistic responses to any one subject, there are at least two distinctive approaches that have emerged: impressionism and expressionism. Impressionism is a visual response to the effects of light, while expressionism is an emotional response that conveys mood and drama. Impressionists are likely to depict a seascape as patterns of light on water, while expressionists are more likely to focus on the emotional turbulence of the sea — see the examples below. J. Thomas Soltesz Tjasa Owens Impressionism: Soothing or scandalous? Jane Grthridge During its early years in the 1870s and 1880s, French Impressionism was considered by critics and the public alike to be a scandalous attempt to overthrow the established principles of painting. Today, it is by far the most popular style of art on exhibition in the world's museums, and is widely appreciated as one of the most calming — rather than confrontational — art forms. A lasting impression Impressionism has changed the way we look at the world around us, encouraging us to notice the purely visual properties of nature. Impressionist artists treated with equal importance the light filtering through the trees and the figure of a woman sitting under the tree. A surface of a building at sunset might be transformed by an impressionist artist from a wall of stone to a backdrop for the intensely colored sunlight that plays across it. A feast for the senses Annette S. Joseph If we think about this approach to art as one that emphasizes the sensory nature of reality over its political, emotional or psychological content, we can find impressionist attitude in the art of any period, particularly our own. Consider these impressionist-inspired selections available from NextMonet. Notice in particular how they emphasize the sensory qualities of the scene, such as the way light plays upon the various forms within the picture. Boyd Gavin Carol Lefkowitz Expressionism: Going to extremes Anna Rockwell The Expressionist movement gained momentum in Germany during and just after World War I. It viewed the world through a very different lens than French Impressionism. Whereas the earlier Impressionists tried to stay faithful to an optical observation and depiction of nature, the German Expressionists were more interested in conveying their emotional and psychological reaction to the world around them. Given that many of the young German artists who first painted in this style experienced the horrors of trench warfare, we are not surprised to see that their vision expresses emotional extremes. A world of expression Distortion of form and exaggeration of color to heighten emotional impact neither originated nor ended in early 20th century Germany. We can find the same approach throughout history, from ancient cave paintings to contemporary video. An expressionist statement that touches on our own situation or world today can serve as a powerful source of insight into our own emotional and psychological state. Emotion in the abstract Evelyn Eller An understanding of the expressionist approach to art leads us to Abstract Expressionism, the dominant American art movement in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Although Abstract Expressionism has been in prominent public view in our museums for more than half a century, it is still a controversial approach to painting. It boldly challenges the conventions of painting by abandoning all recognizable forms in favor of painted gestures that suggest an emotional or psychological state. Abstract Expressionist works give us room to draw our own conclusions, and find our own meanings. This can be disconcerting — but if we take the challenge, it can be a rewarding way to expand our awareness of ourselves and our world. Consider these expressionist-inspired selections available from NextMonet. Notice in particular how they evoke gut-level emotional responses, whether through dramatic contrasts or sweeping gestures. Kathy Buist Tina Feingold Next: Media — How does an artist decide to work in one medium over another?