7 Artists of German Expressionism You Should Know

The movement of German Expressionism dominated the German artistic scene in the years before the Nazis seized power. Rejecting traditional standards of academic painting, artists focused on subjective emotion and feelings rather than on the immediate correspondence of their works to reality. German Expressionists were never a coherent unanimous group, yet their general approach to art inspired other creative domains, such as silent film. Some of them were victims of the bloodshed of World War I, while others faced prosecution by the Nazis.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was perhaps the most famous artist of the German Expressionist scene, sometimes called the German Picasso. As a young art student, Kirchner focused on architecture but soon moved to the domain of fine arts. Yet, this training would later transform itself in Kirchner’s Expressionist paintings that depict the urban German metropolis. Instead of clean lines and careful geometry, Kirchner’s style makes his streets seem distorted, contributing to a sense of unease and anxiety. The artist’s alternative approach to form and perspective came from his profound interest in African sculpture, which was popular in Europe during his time.

Like many artists on this list, Kirchner became the target of a Nazi-led campaign against Modern art. Labeling him as a “degenerate” artist, the new authorities revoked his memberships in German art academies and detained hundreds of his works. Distressed and traumatized, Kirchner committed suicide in 1938 after destroying the remaining works in his studio.

2. Max Beckmann

The formative event for Max Beckmann’s career was his service in World War I, during which he worked as a hospital assistant. After about a year of service, he suffered a mental breakdown and was discharged. The experience of violence, gore, and suffering scarred Beckmann for the rest of his life. This led him to explore the depths of depravity, decadence, and pain in his works. Despite his modern techniques, in many ways, Beckmann was the heir of German medieval art, both in format and style.

Franz Marc, the son of a lesser-known landscape artist, was familiar with art from his early childhood. As a student, he admired the works of Vincent van Gogh which had a profound impact on him. Like many of his Expressionist colleagues, he expressed interest in color theories and the symbolic meaning of tones. Instead of urban scenes and human figures, Marc preferred to paint animals, particularly horses. His compositions explored the spiritual effects of the natural dynamism of figures and bold tones.

In 1914, Franz Marc was drafted into the German army. Using his artistic skills, he worked with painting military camouflage and boldly applied Modernist techniques. In letters to his wife, he wrote that the Pointillist style effectively protected the artillery from aerial observation. He was also eager to try the abstract style of Kandinsky to trick the enemy’s aviation.

In 1916, the German authorities compiled a list of outstanding artists and creatives who were supposed to leave the battlefield for their own safety. Marc was on the list, but the news did not reach him on time. Days before the letter arrived, he was killed during the Battle of Verdun. One of the last paintings by Franz Marc was the monumental and dramatic Fate of the Animals. This was a terrible premonition of war and death, showing animals agonizing in a horrifying forest fire. Soon after Marc’s death, the piece was damaged in a fire and later restored by Paul Klee.

4. Paul Klee

One of the most prolific and multi-faceted German artists, Paul Klee worked at the intersection of Expressionism, Cubism, and Surrealism. He experimented with materials, sometimes breaking the rules of their traditional use. He layered oil paint over watercolor and scraped it off, sprayed paint, or applied it by stamping. Klee’s approach to art was philosophical rather than emotional. Compared to other Expressionists, his compositions lacked the impression of swift outbursts of creative energy. Every element of them was carefully balanced and evaluated.

One of the signature features of Klee’s art was his exquisite work with color. Ironically, color was the only aspect of painting that Klee could not master for many years of his life, instead preferring to focus on monochrome drawings and etchings. The decisive moment for the artist was his trip to Tunisia in 1914. The local light and architecture allowed him to discover the relationship between color and space and later apply it to his own works. Apart from his art, he also had a prolific teaching career, becoming one of the most notable Bauhaus mentors.

Emil Nolde was one of the most acclaimed German Expressionists who hid a distressing truth about his real personality. During his long career, he received praise for his unique work with color and the variety of subjects covered. Before World War I, he was invited to join the German expedition to New Guinea through Siberia, China, and the Philippines. During the year-long tour, he created hundreds of paintings and drawings documenting his experience and fascination with non-Western cultures. In his notes, he criticized the German colonial rule and the violence imposed on the Indigenous people.

Yet, despite his seemingly anti-colonial stance, Nolde’s political views were far from humanistic. In the early 1920s, he became a supporter and a member of the Nazi party. He collaborated with the Gestapo and even met Joseph Goebbels, who intended to promote Nolde’s painting style as the revival of Gothic German art. Adolf Hitler was not enthusiastic about modernist painting, and soon, Nolde fell out of favor, desperately trying to prove his loyalty to the regime. As World War II ended, he managed to present himself as the victim of the regime, once again securing a place on the European artistic scene.

6. August Macke

August Macke had only seven years of professional artistic career, yet he managed to leave his mark and become one of the most remarkable German Expressionists. Contrary to the works of other Expressionists like Kirchner, Macke’s cityscapes are not distressing but rather joyful, green, and sun-lit. His works often included his favorite model—his beloved wife Elisabeth. Despite being welcome in the circles of Kandinsky and Franz Marc, he expressed significantly lower interest in matters concerning spiritualism and philosophy.

Macke was profoundly moved by reality as he saw it, augmenting it with his emotional impressions. In 1914, he traveled to Tunisia with Paul Klee, where he created dozens of sketches and photographs that would never turn into completed works. Macke enlisted in the army two months after World War I began. In September 1914, he was killed in combat, with his remains unidentified. His wife Elisabeth would outlive him for more than six decades and play a crucial role in preserving his works and correspondence.

The impact of the German artist Gabriele Münter on the history of Expressionist art is often overlooked due to her twelve-year-long relationship with Wassily Kandinsky. She was a prolific and restless artist, endlessly experimenting with forms and techniques. She was keen to learn from anyone and everything—from Henri Matisse to the forms seen in children’s drawings and toys she collected. Her unique coloring style came from her fascination with traditional Bavarian glass painting. Like many other Expressionists, she experimented with sculpture and woodblock printing.

Together with Kandinsky and Franz Marc, Gabriele founded the famous Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). The group members differed in their stylistic approaches, proud of their individuality. As noted by Münter, they were concerned with being “honest rather than modern.” The group’s goal was to explore the spiritual capabilities of color and composition. During World War II, Münter kept the works by her, Kandinsky, and other Blaue Reiter members hidden in her house, risking her life to save them.