Activities

In the first of two lectures Ben Street will show how German Expressionism developed during the 20th Century. He will start with the two main movements of the first part of the last century.
The movement Die Brücke (The Bridge) was formed in 1905 in Dresden. Working with their instinct, artists expressed their uneasiness towards German society that was sinking in a latent collapse. Regarded as “degenerates” by the increasingly popular socio-nationalist party, the artists powerlessly witnessed the rise of this extremist group. The artists who spearheaded the movement were the artists Emil Nolde, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Erich Heckel.
Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) appeared after Die Brücke, and was an artistic movement born out of an intellectual reflection of thinkers and philosophers. This movement owed its origins to German romantic culture as well as elements of the Die Brücke movement. This short expressionist wave lasted from 1912 to 1914. It’s key artists included Vassily Kandinsky, Gabriele Munter, Franz Marc, August Macke, and Alexej von Jawensky.
This lecture links in with the Tate Modern Exhibition “Expressionists” coming in April 2024