expressionistic
Subjectively rendered, intense
Expressionistic describes art, film, or literature that distorts reality to convey inner emotional states rather than external appearances.
The term derives from Expressionism, an early 20th-century movement that rejected naturalism in favor of exaggerated colors, angular shapes, and intense psychological content.
An expressionistic scene might use harsh lighting and distorted sets to externalize a character's mental anguish: The film's expressionistic cinematography reflected the protagonist's paranoia.
Twisting from original state
- brushworkPainter's stroke method
- gesturalRelating to body movements
- impastoHeavily applied pigment technique
- jaggedSharply uneven, notched
angular · exaggerated · grotesque · figurative · nonrepresentational · bold · raw · spontaneous
Intensely clear and bright
- saturatedThoroughly soaked through
- chromaticRelating to color
- boldCourageous and daring
- jarringDisturbingly incongruous
harsh · contrasting · lurid · garish · dissonant · striking · intense · vibrant
Expressionist artist collective
- Der Blaue ReiterExpressionist art movement, Munich
- KandinskyBauhaus painting instructor
- MunchNorwegian symbolist painter
- MarcFrench male name
avant-garde · modernism · Weimar · primitivism · German · Vienna Secession · Bridge · post-impressionism
Deep unfocused worry
- anguishIntense mental suffering
- alienationState of being isolated
- despairTotal absence of hope
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
torment · inner turmoil · psychological · dread · melancholy · rage · ecstasy · pathos
Intensely and sincerely felt
- vehementIntensely forceful in feeling
- forcefulExerting strong pressure
- powerfulHaving great strength
- freneticWildly agitated, fast
turbulent · urgent · visceral · explosive · unrestrained · overwrought · heightened · extreme
distortion
Twisting from original state
- brushworkPainter's stroke method
- gesturalRelating to body movements
- impastoHeavily applied pigment technique
jagged · angular · exaggerated · grotesque · figurative · nonrepresentational · bold · raw · spontaneous · subjective
vivid
Intensely clear and bright
jarring · harsh · contrasting · lurid · garish · dissonant · striking · intense · vibrant · clashing
Die Brücke
Expressionist artist collective
- Der Blaue ReiterExpressionist art movement, Munich
- KandinskyBauhaus painting instructor
- MunchNorwegian symbolist painter
Marc · avant-garde · modernism · Weimar · primitivism · German · Vienna Secession · Bridge · post-impressionism
angst
Deep unfocused worry
- anguishIntense mental suffering
- alienationState of being isolated
- despairTotal absence of hope
anxiety · torment · inner turmoil · psychological · dread · melancholy · rage · ecstasy · pathos · suffering
fervent
Intensely and sincerely felt
frenetic · turbulent · urgent · visceral · explosive · unrestrained · overwrought · heightened · extreme · impassioned
- writing stylesformal, informal, minimalism, maximalism, concise
- narrationfirst person, second person, third person, voice-over, narrator
expressionisticrealistic
True to life
photorealistic · naturalistic · representational · mimetic · verisimilar
expressionisticdetached
Apart or uninvolved
dispassionate · unemotional · restrained · clinical · cool
- abstract expressionistPostwar American avant-garde artist