Impressionism and Expressionism

[sufishweta]

Can anyone please explain to me these two terms( impressionism and expressionism) with reference to english literature and allied arts?

[sofia82]

In painting, the artist avoids the representation of external reality to project themselves & a highly personal vision of the world. In literatur, the author determines the form, imagery, punctuation, syntax, ... & any rules of writing can be bent or disjointed to suit the purpose.
It domintaed theater and it's a reaction against realism, to show inner psychological realities like Strindberg's plays.Of course other kinds of literature are influenced by it not only drama.

[sofia82]

In painting, the artist avoids the representation of external reality to project themselves & a highly personal vision of the world. In literatur, the author determines the form, imagery, punctuation, syntax, ... & any rules of writing can be bent or disjointed to suit the purpose.
It domintaed theater and it's a reaction against realism, to show inner psychological realities like Strindberg's plays.Of course other kinds of literature are influenced by it not only drama.

[stlukesguild]

Both of these terms were initially applied to the visual arts. Impressionism denoted a manner of painting in which the artist attempted to convey a sensory response to the fleeting perceptions of the visible world. In literature it would certainly apply to the works of writing in which the author attempts to convey an impression of sensations in response to a physical subject. I can imagine it applying to the increased awareness to the senses of smell, taste, touch, sound that is conveyed in some poets such as Verlaine, Rimbaud, Baudelaire, etc... although these writers are equally indebted to Symbolism. You might also look at Virginia Woolf.

Expressionism was applied to a manner in the visual arts in which an extreme abstraction or distortion of reality was utilized to convey emotional or psychological responses to a subject or theme. Among the "expressionist" painters you would include Van Gogh, Edvard Munch, Egon Schiele, E.L. Kirchner, and Max Beckmann. You should also be aware of Expressionism in such early films as M, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, Nosferatu, etc... Expressionism was a mode of working especially developed in Germany, Austria, and the Northern European nations and not so common in France, Italy, or Spain where it would have certainly conflicted with the Mediterranean classical traditions. Among Expressionists writers I would certainly include Strindberg... but also add the German poet, Georg Trakl, Frank Wedekind's "Lulu" plays, Hermann Hesse's Steppenwolf, Bertholt Brecht, Kafka (to an extent), George Buchner, Gottfried Benn, and even some of Hugo Hofmannsthal (Elektra... magnificently set to music in Richrad Strauss' opera).

[sufishweta]

hmmm thanx a lot.
i hope this helps in my exam.