Indigenous art and Expressionism
Current African artist Henry Mzili Mujunga paints in a purposeful indigenous expressionist style through the lens of Western Art history. Mujunga proclaims, “Indigenous has to do with your nativity, where you are rooted, where you are coming from, what your background is. Indigenous means coming from you.”
Expressionist painters of the 1930s to midcentury were on a quest for authenticity and depicted the world exactly as it felt rather than how it looked, taking inspiration from the bold, vibrant, and introspective paintings that were created in the Post-Impressionist era.
Expressionism began to emerge in Europe in the early to mid-20th century shortly before World War I as a response to the social and political turmoil of the time and its message that abandoned realistic and accurate representations of scenes and subjects spread throughout the world and over many art forms. Expressionists aimed to elicit strong emotional responses by distorting reality and using vivid colors to convey intense feelings and the subjective perspective of the artist. This further departure of representation reached beyond impressionism, cubism, and fauvism by displaying daring emotions candidly.
Expressionist artists employed exaggerated forms, bold colors, and symbolic imagery to convey their visions. In landscapes, self-portraits, and abstract compositions these artists often distorted or simplified reality to evoke drama, tension, or emotion. Notable Expressionist artists used symbolic imagery, exaggerated forms, and bold colors and some of the European greats include Munch, Kandinsky, Marc, and Van Gogh.
In America, post-World War II immigration inspired modern artists such as Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock to examine works of Indigenous art of America and themes of mythology. Vivid emotions began showing up in heavily distorted figures, flattened forms and representations. With the arrival of European immigrant artists during WWII in the early 1940s, New York City replaced Paris and became the center of the modern art world. Indigenous artists actively contributed to Abstract Expressionism in the US and participated in exhibitions alongside non-Native artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Theodoros Stamos, were influenced by Native art, and in turn, inspired American Indian artists such as John Hoover (Aluet) Edna Massey (Cherokee) and Patrick Swazo (Tesuque Pueblo) to create Modern art in the abstract expressionistic style merging traditional aesthetics.
Image Sources:
Watercolor, drawing, and ink on paper. 1944-46
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