Expressionism and Impressionism as Philosophies of Art - Book Report/Review Example

What are the most important differences between expressionism and impressionism as philosophies of art? Before differentiating expressionism from impressionism as philosophies of art, it is important to mention that in art, there is really no cut in stone classification of art movements. Impressionism or expressionism are just labels or “branding” to represent the influences of the art during a particular time just like any other movement in the philosophies of art. Expressionism first started around the turn of the century and was a fresh way of expressing art.

Before, art was mainly preoccupied with recording actual scenes and events. Artists like Ernst Ludwig, Eric Heckel and Emil Nolde opened new doors in the world of painting and decided to record their feelings and outlooks on subjects. Expressionism, as the word implies, is a unique way of expressing art whereby the art only depicts the artist’s emotional response to a certain subject. Unrecognizable object to the point of abstraction are said to be expressionist art. If it the art is unrecognizable, then it would be categorized more as expressionist rather than impressionist.

Impressionism on the other hand focuses on light rather than detail to evoke emotion from its art. But unlike expressionism, they have a semblance of form. They became in vogue as a reaction to photography which was slowly gaining popularity during that time. It also ended up borrowing from the medium, mainly mimicking photography’s composition, motion, and candor. Frequently working outdoors, Impressionists often painted the same subject in different lights (Monet’s series of Venice, for example).