Expressionist artists believed in art’s ability to communicate emotion, irrespective of any representational or narrative content. In this comprehensive introduction to one of the most radical artistic movements of our time, writer, artist, curator, and educator Colin Rhodes traces the thread of expressionist thought from the nineteenth century to the present day, mapping its various manifestations across Europe and the US, as well as parts of Africa, Asia, and South America.
By paying particular attention to nuanced issues of gender, sexuality, and cultural appropriation, Rhodes challenges the received art-historical narrative and reassesses it in the context of broader twentieth- and twenty-first-century artistic practice. Generously illustrated, the diverse selection of artists featured in this book range from Wassily Kandinsky, Erma Bossi, Francis Bacon, and Mark Rothko to Ursula Schultze-Bluhm, Gillian Ayres, Purvis Young, and Jadé Fadojutimi.
Contributors
Colin Rhodes
Author
Colin Rhodes is a writer, artist, and educator. He has written and lectured widely on modern and contemporary art, and is a specialist on expressionism, primitivism, and outsider art. He is the author of Primitivism and Modern Art, Outsider Art: Spontaneous Alternatives, and The World According to Roger Ballen, all published by Thames & Hudson. He has worked in universities in the UK and Australia and is currently distinguished professor, Xiaoxiang Scholar, and Yangtze River Scholar in the Fine Arts Academy, Hunan Normal University, China.
