Where did the name expressionism come from?
While the Wikipedia is not always the most reliable of sources, let’s see what it says about the origin of the name: “Origin of the Term” “Although it is used as term of reference, there has never been a distinct movement that called itself “expressionism”, apart from the use of the term by Herwald Walden in his polemic magazine Der Sturm in 1912. The term is usually linked to paintings and graphic work in Germany at the turn of the century which challenged the academic traditions, particularly through the Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter groups. Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche played a key role in originating modern expressionism by clarifying and serving as a conduit for previously neglected currents in ancient art.” That’s as succinct an answer as you are going to get. It is worth researching Der Sturm, by the way. A lot of good material came out of there.
