You prefer religious and mythological paintings of expressionists. Stories from the holy books and myths can be interpreted in various ways and for various purposes, so let’s see what’s peculiar about expressionist canvases. First thing that strikes the eye is the general painful impression produced by these paintings.
That comes with deformed figures, sharp contrasting colours and forms and abruptness of rough lines. What for? Well, expressionists had their own idea of the role of pain and misery – these were considered the inherent, integral and sustainable compound of human existence that drive and rule our lives. Even positive emotions are blown out of all reasonable proportions to the point of suffocation. Compassion is the main message, the main artistic experience that an artist strives to reveal and evoke in the viewer. This is why expressionists rarely turned to myths and Biblical stories, as the reality provided far more material for the search of scenes that could convey misery and induce compassion. So, the paintings we are talking about are primarily distinguished for the choice of stories they portray: they were bound to tell of human suffering, in the way as to show that misery and pain are not a temporary condition, not the result of a mistake or an action as it is common with myths and legends.
In expressionist paintings people are eternal carriers of misery, the feeling that is blunt and desperate and accompanies a person from the cradle to the grave and beyond. You can’t escape, or bribe free, or walk away… it’s your essence, it’s part of who you are. Compassion is the key to understanding these canvases that make you convulse. This effect is achieved through a deliberate and intricate selection of artistic techniques and devices. First goes the colour – sullen, intense and deeply symbolic. The colour plains are roughly contoured by rich lines and come in conflict with each other to create a disturbing atmosphere. Rough flowing lines consisting of numerous smaller loose brushstrokes serpentine the deformed contours of the figures, broken abrupt lines lacerate the canvases exerting painful discomfort. The scale, the proportions and the perspective are distorted, the lines, colours and forms are hyperbolized to produce anxiety and tension. Even when the painting seems to portray joyful moments, the emotions are blown out of proportions and the joy is exaggerated to the point of suffocation. This way even the saints have a demonic quality in expressionist paintings.
