Course overview

Part of the Free Taster Courses for All; this course is an Introduction to the Expressionist Movement and the Blue Rider Art Group. Expressionism is a key art movement of the early 20th century, which developed from 1905 in Germany and Austria. In this session, you will learn about one of the Expressionist groups, The Blue Rider. Centred around Munich and Murnau, the artists of this group developed a colourful and free style of painting. Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Gabriele Munter, Alexei von Jawlensky, Marianne von Werefkin, August Macke and Paul Klee used strong colours and boldly simplified forms to express themselves. If you have ever wondered what is Expressionism, how it started and developed, and why these artists painted in such a way, this course is for you!

Course description

During this session, we will start with an introduction on German Expressionism, to identify the key features of this movement. The session will then focus on a specific Expressionist group: “The Blue Rider”. You will learn about the artists who constituted this group, where they came from, how they met and where they were based, how they painted and what their inspiration was.

We will study and discuss paintings and prints made by Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Gabriele Munter, Alexei von Jawlensky, Marianne von Werefkin, August Macke and Paul Klee. They each had specific styles and interests: Kandinsky is associated with the abstract, Munter with the still-life, Jawlensky with the face, and Marc with the animals. But they all shared a love of bold and free colours, and stylised and abstracted forms.

In the last part of the session, we will consider the impact of the First World War on the artists of the Blue Rider and discover what they did after 1918.

What financial support is available?

We don't want anything to stand in your way when it comes to bringing Adult learning within reach so if you need anything to support you to achieve your goals then speak to one of our education experts during your enrolment journey. Most of our courses are government funded but if you don't qualify or need alternative financial help to access them then let us know.

What other support is available?

All of our digital content, teaching and learning activities and assessments are designed to be accessible so if you need any additional support you can discuss this with the education experts during your enrolment journey and we will do all we can to make sure you have optimal access.

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