The Tate Collection of twentieth century German painting, though small, reflects the hiatus that occurred in German culture from the 1930s to the 1950s. Tate does have works by German artists from this middle period, but they are not paintings. Rather they are sculptures, reliefs, photo-works, or the mixed installations of Joseph Beuys. This display shows two groups of German paintings, historically and artistically distinct.
Twentieth century German art is frequently described as 'expressionist'. This display aims to look at what is Expressionist, and what is more properly simply expressive. Because Expressionist has acquired a particular historical meaning, it is a description with a much narrower definition.
The Expressionist believes in the possibility of the transcription of a ready-formed emotion directly onto the canvas. This notion of condensing emotion means making the art object the vehicle of much more than it itself is. In using the body and basic gestures to transcribe the emotions, style is seen as natural and personal and it becomes the artist's signature.
