The expressionist movement that emerged in Germany began with two smaller movements: Die Brücke in Dresden and Der Blaue Reiter in Munich.
With its history of fervent artists such as Matthias Grünewald (circa 1470-1528), Germany was a natural place for the development of expressionism. Van Gogh and Edvard Munch (1863-1944) - notably his painting Le Cri of 1893 - were also strong influences. In 1889, a colony of artists formed in Worpswede, Lower Saxony, first painting landscapes in the style of French Barbizon, but quickly developing a more expressionist approach. The artists of Die Brücke expressed radical social views through human figures, urban scenes and landscapes, while those of Der Blaue Reiter sought to inject spiritual values into art through colour. In the 1920s, the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) emerged, an artistic style that visually protested against the corruption and demoralization of post-war Germany. The artists of the Neue Sachlichkeit wanted to represent objective reality instead of the subjective focus of expressionism. Among them were Max Beckmann (1884-1950), Otto Dix (1891-1969) and George Grosz (1893-1959), who produced poignant and satirical images of the Weimar society. Many German expressionists were traumatized by the First World War, and from 1915 their work became a form of conscious protest.

The most important art centre in Germany at the beginning of the XXE century was the Der Sturm Gallery in Berlin, which exhibited expressionist works, including paintings by artists by Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter. The gallery was founded and directed by left-wing German art critic Herwarth Walden (1879-1941), who also launched Der Sturm magazine, defending German expressionism.

MAIN ARTISTS: ERNST LUDWIG KIRCHNER • MAX BECKMANN • OTTO DIX • GEORGE GROSZ • EMIL NOLDE • MAX PECHSTEIN