Contemporary theory of expressionism 3261013524

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NUNC COCNOSCO EX PARTE

THOMAS J. BATA LI BRARY TRENT UNIVERSITY

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https://archive.org/details/contemporarytheoOOOOperk

Geoffrey Perkins Contemporary Theory of Expressionism

Britische und Irische Studien zur deutschen Sprache und Literatur Etudes parues en Grande Bretagne et en Irlande concernant la philologie et litterature allemandes British and Irish Studies in German Language and Literature

herausgegeben von H.S. Reiss und Idris L. Parry

No. 1 Geoffrey Perkins Contemporary Theory of Expressionism

Verlag Herbert Lang & Cie AG Bern und Lrankfurt

1974

Geoffrey Perkins

Contemporary Theory of Expressionism

Vorwort Hans Reiss

Tr»nt University library PETiK&OROUGH, QNT.

Verlag Herbert Lang & Cie AG Bern und Frankfurt 1974

ISBN 3 261 01352 4 © Herbert Lang & Co Ltd., Bern (Switzerland) Peter Lang Ltd., Frankfurt/M. (BRD) 1974 all rights reserved. No reprint or reproduction, even partial or such as microfilm, xerography, microfiche, microcard, offset is permitted without written consent of the publisher.

This study is based on a dissertation for the degree of Ph. D. in the University of Bristol.

I would like to thank Professor H. S. Reiss of

the Department of German, University of Bristol, for his advice, encouragement and patience over a period of five years. I would also like to express my gratitude to the following for valuable help and information: Hans Bolliger, Zurich; Dr.

Konrad Farner,

Thalwil; Dr. Kurt Pinthus, Marbach a. N.; Frau Emma Raphael, Dortmund.

CONTENTS

H. S. Reiss, Foreword Introduction

11

Notes

19

Chapter 1 The background to the theories of Expressionism. Notes Chapter 2 The aesthetic theories of Wilhelm Worringer Notes Cahpter 3 The concept of style, the nature of art, the nature of German art and the German Gothic tradition Notes Chapter 4 "Weltflucht und Abstraktion".

The "Expressionist situation" and

93

the Expressionist art form Notes Chapter 5 The Expressionist theory and method of art and literary criticism Notes Bibliography

107

113 129 135

7

>

•

FOREWORD

The aim of this series is to publish scholarly works in the field of German studies either written by British or Irish scholars or based on work done at British or Irish universities.

The series is being launched by Geoffery Perkins’s study of Expres¬

sionist theories of art and literature.

His work reflects the pragmatic, common-

sense approach for which British scholarship is justly renowned.

The author's

refusal to accept legends or conventional wisdom is refreshing, particularly since traditional writings about Expressionism abound with mistaken assumptions and false theories.

Dr. Perkins starts by clearing up misconceptions about the history of the term "Ex¬ pressionism" itself.

The author then traces the origins of the theories concerning

Expressionism to the work of famous art historians such as Alois Riegl, on whose work he casts a cold eye while rightly admitting its significance.

He also brings

these writings into focus by relating them to the historical and philosophical back¬ ground.

He critically examines the alleged Gothic essence of Expressionist art

and succeeds in showing that in the fields of art and literature Expressionist art and theory do not match at all, thus refuting orthodox assumptions.

Furthermore,

we learn from his account that what the contemporary apologists of Expressionism said about its artistic and literary character was entirely misleading. ments do not fit the facts or are so vague as to be useless.

The state¬

Nonetheless, later art

and literary historians have uncritically taken over the doctrines propounded by the early champions of the movement.

Dr. Perkins also lays the ghost of an essential

Expressionist style which is supposed to characterise the Expressionists' works of art and literature, a style which, not surprisingly, recent sober-minded critics have been unable to discover.

Finally, he defines the limits within which an artistic

or literary label like Expressionism can usefully be applied to art and literature alike. In confuting false theories and assumptions and in pointing the way to a sensible use of conventional terminology the author has paved the way for a better understanding of this important movement.

Consequently, future studies of this period, if they

wish to avoid errors, will have to come to terms with the cogent arguments put for¬ ward in this book.

Hans Reiss

Wills Memorial Building University of Bristol

9

INTRODUCTION

There was for many years a tendency in studies of Expressionism to discount the term altogether and to concentrate on saving this or that writer or artist from the unfortunate fate of being branded simply an "Expressionist".

In the last few years

it has become fashionable to seek to rehabilitate the term and to place the movement of Expressionism in a European context. cation.

Both these tendencies have their justifi¬

There are major artists and writers who were "bigger", so to speak, than

the movement and whose work must obviously be discussed in a European context. And there are, of course, movements similar to Expressionism to be found before the outbreak of the First World War in several European countries.

On the other

hand, however, there are many German writers, artists and theoreticians whose importance is equally evidently limited to Expressionism and to Germany.

The ob¬

vious place to deal fully with the theories of art or literature held by such figures as Trakl or Kirchner, Heym or Marc, is in a monograph on that artist or writer. Less obvious is where best to deal with the main body of expressionist art theory. . Scarcely any other movement in art and literature may be said to have been accom¬ panied by so much contemporary theoretical writing. among the most self-conscious movements in history.

Expressionism must rank There was more than enough

theory to sink even a more robust movement than Expressionism - and sink Expres¬ sionism it surely did.

But who were these theoreticians of art and poetry ?

If we

agree to exc