Express yourself

In order to fully take advantage of my short trip to London, I decided I’d go and see the Expressionists exhibition at Tate Modern. And, although it made a long day seem a lot longer, I decided I’d go the day I arrived. So, after a short rest and a subsequent coffee in the nearby Starbucks, I headed across the road to the Tate.

I’ve been a fan of Expressionist art for a while and was really looking forward to it and I wasn’t disappointed at all. It was superb. So many amazing works gathered together. It was glorious.

It was also lovely to see so many people enjoying the works. While it was quite crowded, it wasn’t annoyingly so.

While it looked like everyone was enjoying the exhibition, there was one odd couple where a guy was leading a rather tall woman by the hand and telling her to “Just keep your eyes on the floor” as he led her to the exit.

It happened as I was walking down the passageway full of religious iconography. The Expressionists, grouped together as The Blue Rider, collected bits of religion and played around with them. A prime example…

At first I thought this was the Holy Duck but, no, it’s the dove of peace with a letter in its beak and a mortar on its head.

The exhibition brought together many artists. As a group, The Blue Rider stretched the boundaries of what was considered art. Paintings, light, colour, sound, it was all up for grabs. A bit like most new movements. Some of the artists I’d heard of but there were a few new ones to discover. Erma Bossi, for example.

Actually, there were a few women in The Blue Rider. The only one I’d, vaguely, heard of was Gabriel Münter (1877-1962). In fact, Blue Rider welcomed women as much as men to the group. It was all about moving art forwards and wasn’t about gender.

Well, to be completely accurate, it sort of was. There was a fair bit of gender fluidity going on. A favourite subject was androgynous dancer, Alexander Sacharoff (1886-1963). He became a dancer after seeing Sarah Bernhardt. He was admired and embraced by The Blue Rider as his dance style grew. His story, alone, is quite amazing.

The main draw card for me, though, was Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944). Seeing his early paintings and glimpsing how his style changed and grew throughout his career was fantastic. I think he was an amazing artist.

Of course, it was one of his works that was my favourite in the exhibition. Though it was a tough call. I was rather taken with Franz Marc’s In the Rain.

I love the movement in the painting. The vague shapes of the artist and his wife walking their dog in the rain. They have become a part of the nature around them, melting into the landscape. It is beautiful and made me feel like I was there, walking in the rain with them.

There were also a few works by August Macke (1887-1914) that caught my eye and could have made it into the favourite choice. In particular, his Promenade of 1913. As the display card said “[It is] a poetic celebration of everyday life.“

And, actually, my favourite was of a similar subject. It depicts people socialising in Munich, members of the bourgeoisie society of the time. He tinges their lives with a bit of irony. My favourite is of a promenading middle class couple, out for the day. His expressive brush strokes pulled me in and left me dazzled.

All in all, a splendid exhibition, well worth the price of admission. And the aching feet. Sitting in a pub afterwards, resting them, was also pretty high on the pleasure stakes.