The word "expression" with the development of mass art is found in everyday life more and more. Connoisseurs of painting, music or theater use it to express their attitude to a work, to compliment, emphasize the features of the author's work. The townsfolk, no matter how much they like to join a high culture, most often they only have to silently nod and guess what “expression” means.
Expression in the visual arts
Strong, touching, vibrant paintings are often called expressive, and their authors - expressionists. Expressiveness involves expression in the product of deep feelings, emotions, thoughts of the author. If in the details of the picture his temperament is traced, character traits and demeanor are discerned, it can be said with confidence that it is not devoid of expression.
Expressionist artists have always sought, first and foremost, to convey not the state of the world around them, but their own emotional perception. They affect the viewer not with images, but with feelings. The current itself arose in the period after the First World War, when the outside world seemed to artists ugly, destroyed, sick. Therefore, the early paintings of expressionists are filled with emotions such as fear, longing, disgust and sadness.
The terms “expression” and “expressionism” arose and associated with literature as a response to imaginative and realistic impressionism. After all, the Impressionists tried to depict the moment in reality, and not the attitude to it.
Expression in music
In this field of fine arts, expressionism is not as well known as in painting, and it has not received such a resounding success. It is based on the same principles: to convey the emotional state, the palette of feelings of the hero, instead of talking about the hero himself. The characters of musical works in this style have neither the past nor social connections, sometimes there is not even the character himself - only what he feels and what the author conveys through notes and pauses.
The negative and dual reaction of critics to expression in music is caused by the fact that most often the authors tried to express far from positive emotions. The expressionists were considered lonely and sad by the authors, and their music is called “scary”, “scary” and “creepy” in various sources. Nevertheless, “music full of expression” is still a great compliment to any author, albeit with a somewhat ambiguous meaning. It can be safely used, talking about any emotionally strong work.
Expression in the cinema and theater
Cinema and theater could not stay away from emerging trends. The meaning of "expression" in these areas of art is narrower and characterizes a short stage in German theater and cinema, which nevertheless greatly influenced contemporary art. Speaking about these forms of creativity, the word "expression" itself is rarely used as a compliment or characteristic. But the standard of expressive cinema - the feature film "Doctor Caligari's Study" of 1920 - is often referred to as the world's first successful full-length horror movie.
The origin of the word "expression"
Expression is a word, which, according to one version, comes from the Latin expressio, which means “expressiveness”, “squeezing”, “squeezing”. The authors, as it were, squeeze out emotions and feelings from their heroes.
The word expremere means extrude, express. And the prefix ex itself means “from”, “from”, as if referring to the fact that the emotions in a work come from its heroes, from their experiences, and not from readers or spectators, as is the case with impressionism, which is, in part, partially closed and more realistic.
To summarize
The word "expression" is only the first time a term unusual to the ear of a layman. In fact, everyone can use it to its place in the company of art lovers. And if you delve into this topic and learn more about expressionism in various forms of art, you can find truly amazing, unique works.