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Expressionism - 3 dictionary results

Ex⋅pres⋅sion⋅ism

  [ik-spresh-uh-niz-uhm]
Use Expressionism in a Sentence
–noun
1. Fine Arts.
a. (usually lowercase) a manner of painting, drawing, sculpting, etc., in which forms derived from nature are distorted or exaggerated and colors are intensified for emotive or expressive purposes.
b. a style of art developed in the 20th century, characterized chiefly by heavy, often black lines that define forms, sharply contrasting, often vivid colors, and subjective or symbolic treatment of thematic material.
c. German, Ex⋅pres⋅si⋅o⋅nis⋅mus  [eks-pres-ee-oh-nis-moos] . modern art, esp. the experimental or nonacademic styles of contemporary art.
2. (often lowercase) Theater. a style of playwriting and stage presentation stressing the emotional content of a play, the subjective reactions of the characters, symbolic or abstract representations of reality, and nonnaturalistic techniques of scenic design.
3. Literature. a technique of distorting objects and events in order to represent them as they are perceived by a character in a literary work.
4. (usually lowercase) a phase in the development of early 20th-century music marked by the use of atonality and complex, unconventional rhythm, melody, and form, intended to express the composer's psychological and emotional life.
Origin:
1905–10; < G Expressionismus See expression, -ism

Related forms:
Ex⋅pres⋅sion⋅ist, noun, adjective
Ex⋅pres⋅sion⋅is⋅tic, adjective
Ex⋅pres⋅sion⋅is⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Expressionism
ex·pres·sion·ism   (ĭk-sprěsh'ə-nĭz'əm)   
n.  A movement in the arts during the early part of the 20th century that emphasized subjective expression of the artist's inner experiences.
ex·pres'sion·ist n., ex·pres'sion·is'tic adj., ex·pres'sion·is'ti·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

expressionism

An artistic style that departs from the conventions of realism and naturalism and seeks to convey inner experience by distorting rather than directly representing natural images. The highly personal visions communicated in the paintings of Vincent van Gogh are early examples of expressionism. Edvard Munch and Georges Rouault are considered expressionist painters.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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