Sport in Expressionist Art

This article explores representations of modern sport in the art of German Expressionism, c. 1910–1920. Following a brief outline of the movement’s main artistic concerns and historical contexts, the discussion will focus on a small number of artworks that depict a range of modern sports (cycling, football, and boxing) as well as exemplify some of the movement’s main artistic genres – from painting to woodcut to sculpture to film. As well as paying attention to genre, style, and other artistic features, I will explore the ways in which these Expressionist representations of sports emerged, and the cultural contexts in which they operated. As the article focuses on a movement contributing to the development of twentieth-century art, rather than an individual artist or a specific sport, it will, finally, articulate the methodological implications of the approach taken here, and consider the relationship between art history and sport history.