Expressionism is a style in which the intention is not to reproduce a subject accurately, but instead to portray it in such a way as to express the inner state of the artist. The movement is especially associated with Germany, and was influenced by such emotionally-charged styles as Symbolism, Fauvism, and Cubism.

There are several different and somewhat overlapping groups of Expressionist artists, including Der Blaue Reiter ("The Blue Rider"), Die Brucke ("The Bridge"), Die Neue Sachlichkeit ("The New Objectivity") and the Bauhaus School.

Leading Expressionists included Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, George Grosz and Amadeo Modigliani.

In the mid-20th century, Abstract Expressionism (in which there is no subject at all, but instead pure abstract form) developed into an extremely influential style in the United States.

Der Blaue Reiter: Centered in Munich, 1911-1914

Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) was a group of Expressionist artists led by Franz Marc and Wassily Kandinsky. One of the group''''s primary goals was to use art to express spirituality.

Other artists associated with the movement included August Macke, Gabriele Munter, Paul Klee, Alexei Jawlensky and Heinrich Campendonk The movement was disrupted by World War I, in which both Franz Marc and August Macke were killed in combat.

Die Brucke: Centered in Dresden, 1905-1913

Die Brucke (The Bridge) was a group of Expressionist artists, founded by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Erich Heckel. Their work was characterized by its intensely emotional and violent imagery.

Other artists associated with the movement included Max Pechstein, Emil Nolde, Otto Mueller and Edvard Munch.

The group was disbanded due to artistic disagreements and the onset of World War I.

Die Neue Sachlichkeit: Germany, 1918-1933

Die Neue Sachlichkeit (The New Objectivity) was an Expressionist movement founded in Germany in the aftermath of World War I by George Grosz and Otto Dix. Its artwork is characterized by a realistic style combined with a cynical and socially critical philosophical stance.

Other artists associated with the movement included Christian Schad and Max Beckmann.

The Bauhaus School: Germany, 1919-1933

The Bauhaus School is a school of design founded in Weimar, Germany in 1919 by Walter Gropius. Its signature modernist style, integrating Expressionist art with the fields of architecture and design, was enormously influential throughout the world.

The school was later led by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Its faculty included such artists as Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Oskar Schlemmer , Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Johannes Itten, Josef Albers and Anni Albers.

Other artists associated with the Bauhaus include Gunta Stolzl, Lux Feininger and George Grosz.

The school was closed by the Nazis in 1933, and many of the artists emigrated to the United States in the years leading up to World War II, in search of intellectual freedom.