Aus Ton und Feuer: an Exploration of and Dialogue with the German Expressionist Movement

My thesis is a cohesive body of ceramic sculptures that demonstrate my entering into and engaging in a dialogue with the works of the German Expressionist art movement. In the written portion, I am discussing my process, my discoveries, the body of work I created, and the influences which informed my work. The epoch I am highlighting in this text is central western Europe approximately 1900-1940, covering the last years of the Kaiserreich, World War I, the Weimar Republic, the rise of Nazism, and the beginning of World War II. This covers the rise and fall of Expressionism in German-speaking European countries and the mass departure of mid-20th century artists to countries like the United States, which is a major reason why the American modern art culture grew so strong in the latter half of the 20th century