How did rapid urbanization influence Expressionist art and literature?

Rapid urbanization, alongside rapid mechanization and the perceived complacency of bourgeois society, served as a primary catalyst for the Expressionist movement. Artists and writers reacted to the perceived ugliness, crude banality, and contradictions of modern life with a sense of anxiety, disgust, and frenetic intensity.12

Influence on Art

Expressionist painters depicted urban street scenes using jagged, distorted lines, rough brushwork, and jarring colors to convey the instability of the modern environment. These compositions were often crowded and agitated, reflecting the artists' frustration with the dehumanizing aspects of city life. By breaking away from literal representation, they sought to express subjective states of mind—such as fear and horror—rather than the superficial naturalism of the era.2

Influence on Literature

In literature, Expressionism emerged as a protest against the soullessness of modern technology and the rapid growth of cities. Expressionist poets frequently expressed horror over urban life, often pairing these themes with apocalyptic visions of civilizational collapse. Similarly, Expressionist drama utilized grotesque distortion to critique the subjection of workers to machines, though some playwrights explored the potential for technology to eventually facilitate a socialist utopia.13