Metaphoric reflections of the First World War on expressionism

Within the scope of the study, the effects of World War I on art were examined, and especially how Expressionism reflected on the art of painting was emphasized. Evaluations were made on the selected artists by considering the years before and after World War I. Along with the perspectives of the artists on World War I, their reflections on their Works were analyzed metaphorically. The selected artists were greatly influenced by the developments that took place at that time, and they were composed of artists who participated in the war and seriously discussed their experiences in their works. The framework has been narrowed due to the wide scope of the work carried out. In relation to the subject of this study, analyzes were made on the works of George Grosz, Otto Dix, Kathe Kollwitz, Max Beckmann and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. The artists who have been the subject of the research appear before us as people who have experienced the horrors of the war during the years of World War I. One of them, the German artist Otto Dix, participated in the war and took part in the front for a long time. He suffered serious injuries during the war. Beyond the injury, he also went through difficult times psychologically. As a result, these difficult years he lived had an important direction to his art. Another artist, Kathe Kollwitz, changed his interpretation of his works before the war due to his war experiences. He produced many anti-war works, especially due to losses in the war. George Grosz, one of the artists who voluntarily participated in the war, was dismissed from his duty shortly after joining the war due to the mental problems he experienced. However, George Grosz!s war story did not end here. The artist documented his own experiences as a soldier and clearly demonstrated the collapse of his idealistic beliefs about war. Selected artists have visualized the material and moral difficulties caused by World War I in their works. Although the works have revealed the brutality of the war, there are serious criticisms, symbolic expressions, and metaphorical interpretations against whatactually happened. Anahtar kelimeler: Expressionism, War, Metaphor