Artistic movements can be tricky things to describe. They are often ephemeral, a bunch of artists doing similar things around the same time. Sometimes they have clear manifestos, and sometimes it's simply something in the air.

I was reflecting on this when I saw a lovely introduction to a gallery about Rhenish Expressionism at the Kunstmuseum Bonn.

Rhenish Expressionism was an artistic movement centred around the Rhine region in northern Germany, particularly in the Ruhr and the Düsseldorf Academy, where many artists received their training. Rhenish Expression is a riot of colour. Why paint regular skin tones when bright yellow will do?

The gallery chose to introduce artists with their own self-portraits. Instead of a dry, academic text detailing the origins of the art movements they represented, it showcased the art, the faces, the people.

Five self-portraits were on display: of artists Herm Dienz, Heinrich Hoerlem, August Macke, William Straube and Hans Thaur.

August Macke was one of the leading artists of the German Expressionist movement. This self-portrait dates from 1909 when he was in his early 20s. His paintings are bright, beautiful and full of colour (I featured one in my ‘Follow the rainbow’ noticing prompt newsletter). His life was tragically cut short when he died as a soldier in World War I.

This self-portrait dates from 1911. Artist William Straube was born and studied in Berlin.

Hans Thuar was a childhood friend of August Macke, with both artists exchanging ideas and inspiration. Macke also painted a portrait of Thuar. In 1899, aged 12, Thuar lost both his legs in an accident with a horse-drawn tram. Macke’s death in 1914 hit him badly, and he stopped painting for several years. This self-portrait dates from 1922.

Herm Dienz was born in Koblenz and studied in Düsseldorf. Born in 1891, he lived until 1980, experiencing all the turmoil of the 20th century in his life. His art was labelled degenerate by the Nazis, and he was later drafted into military service. His art also reflects many different movements from the 20th century. This portrait dates from 1913.

Heinrich Hoerle painted this self-portrait in 1933. It shows him (on the left) with fellow artist Franz Wilhelm Seiwert. Both artists had been friends for many years, but had a falling out in 1932. Hoerle’s paintings were part of a movement called New Objectivity, which was a reaction to Expressionism.

Thank you for reading + until next time,