Expressionism in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Holly Alicia Wittridge College

Expressionism is a term which refers specifically to an artist tendency that became popular in the early 20th century. Expressionism itself was not founded by a solo artist; instead it formed from the influence of other artistic movements, paired with the political and social status of that time. Expressionism pioneered in Germany in the first decades of the 20th century, and was originally formed from progressive artists and writers in search of a deeper, more spiritual meaning to life. These men and women sought a more emotional perception of our world, steering away from the idea of a materialist society and a place of industrialisation. The movement offered a new way of viewing art; German film industry grew throughout the war, using film for overt militarist propaganda. However the need for propaganda ceased when the war came to a close, leading to unconventional film makers such as Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz to seek a new, unconventional and stylised fashion. They began to take inspiration from existing forms of expressionism such as literature and architecture. Expressionism is widely acknowledged to be based around the inner state of an individual; ‘it seeks to convey emotional and psychological states, rather than a...