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07 · Modernist

Expressionism

c. 1910–1930

Sculptural brick and concrete buildings with curved or faceted masses, rounded corners, and tall prow-shaped or stepped tops.

Look for

Exposed concrete Streamlined curves Vertical pier
Einstein Tower, Potsdam, Germany: an example of Expressionism architecture
Einstein Tower, Potsdam, Germany. Photo: A.Savin, FAL
Chilehaus, Hamburg, Germany
Chilehaus Hamburg, Germany · Esther Westerveld from Haarlemmermeer, Nederland, CC BY 2.0
Goetheanum, Dornach, Switzerland
Goetheanum Dornach, Switzerland · Wladyslaw (talk), edits by: Dontpanic (aka Dogcow), CC BY-SA 3.0
Grundtvig's Church, Copenhagen, Denmark
Grundtvig's Church Copenhagen, Denmark · Jan Rasmussen, Public domain
Centennial Hall (Wrocław), Wrocław, Poland
Centennial Hall (Wrocław) Wrocław, Poland · Jar.ciurus, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl

what it is

Expressionist architecture, built mainly in Germany and the Netherlands between about 1910 and 1930, uses brick and reinforced concrete in sculptural, crystalline or curved forms. Its designers distorted and fragmented building masses and drew on Gothic and Romanesque precedent rather than classical models. The Einstein Tower in Potsdam (Erich Mendelsohn, 1919-1921) has sculptural, curved walls. Chilehaus in Hamburg (Fritz Höger, 1921-1924) is a ten-story building faced in 4.8 million dark bricks, with a top shaped like a ship's prow.

Rudolf Steiner's second Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland (1924-1928) is built wholly of cast concrete. Max Berg's Centennial Hall in Wrocław (1911-1913) has a reinforced concrete dome 69 meters across, and Grundtvig's Church in Copenhagen has a 49-meter tower of yellow brick. Art Deco (about 1925-1940) is known for stepped outlines on towers and applied geometric ornament such as zigzags. Expressionist buildings get their effect from the shaped mass of brick or concrete itself.

how to spot one

Exposed concrete Concrete left uncovered as the finished surface, often marked by the wooden formwork (molds) it was poured into. It is the main material of Brutalist buildings of the 1950s to 1970s. Streamlined curves Rounded building corners, smooth wall surfaces and horizontal bands or grooves running along the walls. They are the main features of Streamline Moderne buildings of the 1930s and 1940s. Vertical pier Narrow vertical bands of stone or brick, called piers, running the full height of a facade between recessed columns of windows. They are common on early skyscrapers and Art Deco towers.

Also look for

DomeDeep-set windowBell towerGeometric ornament

history

Expressionist architecture developed in Europe from about 1910 and was strongest in Germany, with variants in the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech lands and Denmark. Early works include Max Berg's Centennial Hall in Wrocław (1911-1913) and Rudolf Steiner's first Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, begun in 1913 in timber and concrete. In 1914 Bruno Taut built a Glass Pavilion in Cologne. He and Paul Scheerbart promoted glass architecture.

Most large projects came after World War I: the Einstein Tower (1919-1921), Chilehaus (1921-1924) and the second Goetheanum (1924-1928), built after a fire destroyed the first on the night of 31 December 1922. By 1925 most leading Expressionist architects had moved toward Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity), a more practical approach, and the Amsterdam School in the Netherlands ended around 1930. Expressionist forms returned in later work such as Le Corbusier's Notre-Dame du Haut (1950-1955).

where to find it

Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark: the Einstein Tower in Potsdam, Chilehaus in Hamburg, Grundtvig's Church in Copenhagen, plus the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland.

easy to confuse with

Het Schip, an example of Amsterdam School Amsterdam School Brick walls laid in waves and curves, rounded corners, sculpture built into the masonry, small towers and wrought ironwork. Chrysler Building, an example of Art Deco Art Deco Jazz-age glamour: towers stepping back as they rise, strong vertical lines, and zigzag or sunburst ornament. Casa Batlló, an example of Art Nouveau Art Nouveau Whiplash curves and plant-like ironwork: facades that look grown rather than built. House of the Black Madonna, an example of Czech Cubism Czech Cubism Prague facades broken into prisms and pyramids: faceted planes, angled window frames, and later round arches and ovals.