Expressionist painting: structural analysis

The study presents a structural and functional analysis of the pictorial activity of the predecessors of expressionism. It is shown that this direction of art is not limited to traditionally recognizedhistorical frameworks. Many contemporary artists continue to develop expressionism traditions. The understanding of the aesthetic impact of expressionists’ works is based on the concept of the emotional effect of the perception of traces of active pictorial action in combination with the color impact. The individuality of images in the work of expressionists is based on the peculiarities of the artist’s pictorial “handwriting”. The author notes the difference between the extent of popularity the works of a particular expressionist artist and demand for them, on the one hand, and the real aesthetic value of such works, on the other.