The Invention of Expressionism: Critical Writings 1910-1913

This collection contains the early writings of the German art historian Max Raphael, published between 1910 and 1913. First rediscovered by Patrick Healy and published in German as Das schöpferische Auge (1993), they are presented in English translation here for the first time. In these texts, Raphael develops the earliest analytical account of a new art movement emerging in the German speaking world, and will name it 'Expressionism'. In defending the modernism of artists such as Pecstein, Nolde, Heckel and Schmidt-Rottluff, Raphael challenges the hostile reception of their work by institutions and contemporary criticism. From a comparison of their output to that of Impressionist luminaries like Liebermann and Corinth, he will proceeed to identify the guiding principles of Expressionism, ultimately formulating a solid theoretical foundation for this artistic revolution.