Women Expressionists

School Library Journal

YA This volume shows the dramatic style of female Expressionist artists during the early 1900s when other women, like Mary Cassatt, were creating art in more conventional styles. Expressionist women took their creative inspiration from their association with male Expressionists and from their desire to question the restrictive attitudes of the period towards women's roles. Their initiative to train as artists led them to choose the less conventional and flamboyant Expressionist style, which earned Kathe Kollwitz, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Marianne Werefkin, Gabrielle Munter, and others their avante garde status. This publication is straightforward in both appeal and descriptive focus, with an excellent introductory essay describing the history of these artists' development. Concise articles accompany each color plate, placing the artists in their contemporary settings across Europe. Although the book has no index, it makes a good reference tool as it is easy to read and includes a useful bibliography. Jenni Elliott, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, Tex.