German Expressionism

'This book is not intended as an introduction to the art and ideas of Der Blaue Reiter, nor does it offer a comprehensive history of the group. Instead, these essays provide new, exciting readings of a series of topics that are loosely linked yet independent of each other. Although it took nine years for them to appear in print, they have lost nothing in the delay, and for those interested in an in-depth analysis of Der Blaue Reiter and its legacies, the book is well worth the wait.'
Burlington Magazine

'German expressionism is enjoying a resurgence of interest. Most of the recent scholarship on the art of German expressionism focuses on the artists of Die Brücke (The Bridge), a group founded in 1905 by four Dresden architects, which lasted about a decade. In the popular imagination, the angular, painterly, figurative style of Die Brücke artists, who were interested in combining the modern and the primitive, represents the essential qualities of expressionism. Until now, the artist groups that arose in Munich during the decade before WW I have received little attention. Among those groups was Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), usually considered another development of pre–WW I German expressionism. In contrast to the Die Brücke artists, the artists of Der Blaue Reiter were less cohesive in style and intent. Scholars of German expressionism have always taken pains to argue that Der Blaue Reiter really belonged to the earlier movement. Three of the eight essays in this collection try to establish Der Blaue Reiter as an equal contributor, with a standing of its own, to the expressionist movement. The other five essays explore tangential aspects of individual artists’ careers and specific cases of early critical appreciation.'
--W. S. Bradley, emeritus, Colorado State University
Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.