German expressionism

Artists associated with German Expressionism in the early decades of the 20th century took up printmaking with a dedication and fervour virtually unparalleled in the history of art. The woodcut, with its coarse gouges and jagged lines, is the pre-eminent Expressionist medium, but the movement also revolutionized etching and lithography, to alternately vibrant and stark effect. This graphic impulse can be traced from the formation of the artist group Bru¨cke in 1905 through the war years and into the 1920s, when individual artists continued to produce compelling work even as the movement was winding down. This volume, published in conjunction with an exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, draws from the Museum's outstanding holdings of Expressionist prints, enhanced by selected drawings, paintings and sculptures from the collection. Featuring circa 260 works by some 30 artists, the book presents a diverse array of individuals, including Max Beckmann, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Emil Nolde,Vasily Kandinsky and Oskar Kokoschka. Essays by Starr Figura and Peter Jelavich discuss the centrality of printmaking in German Expressionism and provide a sociocultural backdrop for the movement.