Van Gogh and Expressionism

From the time of Vincent van Gogh's death in 1890 until the outbreak of World War I, Van Gogh's work came to be seen as the epitome of internationally groundbreaking art--particularly in Germany, where artists like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and others of Die Brucke (The Bridge) group were fascinated by his technique, his powerful brushwork, his strongly contrasting colors and glowing palette. Vassily Kandinsky and the artists of Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) movement esteemed van Gogh for rejecting visible reality and penetrating the essence of nature. Austrian artists Egon Schiele and Oscar Kokoschka, on the other hand, were impressed by his soulful expression and insightful psychological portraits. The scholar and curator, Jill Lloyd, who is profoundly knowledgeable in the field of Expressionism, here places an exquisite selection of works by Expressionist artists in the context of van Gogh's most important paintings, documenting the lasting influence of this nineteenth-century Dutch painter on Expressionist art in Germany and Austria.