Most commonly, expressionist art is thought to have found its root in the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne and Paul Gaugin. In contrast to the slightly earlier French Impressionists, these post-impressionist masters forsook the urge to create an impression and instead chose to rely on their own personal perception of the world around them. This concept was further pursued by the Fauves, who came to prominence in the first years of the 20th century. Other roots of the painting genre go back to the Medieval era, especially when the artist tried to express ideas about social change.
Expressionism in painting is most commonly found in the German and Nordic art of northern Europe, but this style is not limited to artists from that part of the world. As an art movement, expressionism is most often attributed to a series of early 20th century artists working out of Berlin, Dresden and Munich. Included in this group are major artists, such as Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, Lyonel Feininger, George Grosz, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Emile Nolde. Paintings from this group are characterized by wild colorful swaths of bold color applied to the canvas or other artistic surface. Most of this type of painting is figurative and attempts to convey an emotional state of mind.
Since the heyday of German Expressionism in the early 20th century, the art form has expanded in its emotional range and intensity. For now it is common belief that expressionism in painting and other art forms can at times be used to express raw emotional outbursts. This can be seen in the paintings of the Cobra movement that arose in northern Europe following the aftermath of World War II.
Expressionism is not limited to German artists, nor it is limited to the field of visual art. Since the advent of the 20th century, expressionism has found its way into the literary arts, theater, cinema and dance. Writers such as Franz Kafka and James Joyce have been credited with developing a stream of consciousness style that had similarities to expressionist painting.