Faces of Expressionism (1905-1925)

The publication presents a confrontation between Czech and Slovenian representatives of expressionism in the first twenty years of the twentieth century against the background of the German founders of this direction. It traces their common starting points as well as differences in the acceptance of expressionist forms and avant-garde aesthetics in general. In both nations, the struggle for the emancipation of artistic expression took place simultaneously with the national emancipation. The European art of former empires was fragmented and many new styles and directions were emerging in the metropolises. Cultural contacts between the Czech and Slovenian areas (which can be traced back to the Middle Ages) were consolidated during this period. In the Slovenian space, expressionism became the first "identification" direction in the new social constellation. In many ways, it was mediated by Prague, which represented an important crossroads for Slovenian visual artists from the end of the 19th century until around 1930, a place where they could study and shape their style in terms of content and form. The publication brings to light the topic of the Central European cultural context, which has not yet been elaborated.