Group 4: The Female Body in German Expressionism

German Expressionism is a form of art that appeared around the time of the start of World War I. German expressionism includes a host of individuals and groups who had irregular, stylistic approaches that lead to a new style of art that emphasized intense personal expression. The female body in German Expressionism challenged the previous norm by connecting the female identity with nature, generation, and instinctual life. Artwork of German Expressionism was often simplified, distorted, or exaggerated with subjects that usually consisted of controversial topics that the artist’s felt were important to expose to others. Common forms of German Expressionism included the new woman, the nude woman, and the primitive woman. Three artists that we focused on included: Paula Modersohn-Becker, Käthe Kollwitz, and Jeanne Mammen. We created a power point presentation to display the information we discovered on this topic to the class, with background music to set a harmonious atmosphere.