Expressionism In World War One

World War One was not only classified by the millions of young men who were cut down to pieces by machine guns and artillery shells but was also classified by the monumental range of new sensibilities and aesthetic responses. World War One had a profound affect on the aspects of art and culture and transformed the views of its creators as their artistic intentions were shifted in an attempt to illustrate a world outside of their environment of destruction. Artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner adhered to the art movement known as Expressionism, which provided an outlet for artists to depict their feelings of deprivation in the hope it would lead society into a period of renewal or rebirth. Furthermore, the traumatic events of the war influenced

Expressionism evolved with a need to confront the traumatic and devastating experiences of World War One and its aftermath. This art movement reflected very primal emotions that sought to express inner life by painting harsh and realistic subject matter. It provided them an outlet to express the silence that civilization fell into as the war shattered the sense of vitality and optimism that originally gave birth to Expressionism. Many expressionists’ artists depicted the psychological impact the war had on them in the hopes that their emotionally charged paintings would inspire revitalization in humanity. For example, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who was considered to be one of the most talented and influential Expressionists following World War One, illustrated the disillusionment that came as a result of the war. In his painting, Self Portrait as Soldier (1915) Kirchner portrays himself dressed in a uniform displaying an amputated arm while standing in a studio rather than on a battlefield. Although Kirchner never fought in the war, the painting was more of an exploration of his personal fears. Kirchner’s self-amputation can be seen as a metaphor for the innocence and community that was shattered in society as a result of the war. Kirchner’s depiction of a potential loss of identity can also be seen as an attempt to reflect societies feelings of deprivation. As the war influenced the harsh emotional responses through the art movement Expressionism, it also influenced a criticism or disapproval of the war once society realized how terrible it