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Gesture and Expression

While it has always been known that a gesture, pose or specific movement has the potential to convey a psychological message or individual emotion, the new need to depict the sitters’ inner character brought about a radical change in modes of visual expression. In early 20th century Vienna the introspective portraits of Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele used distorted forms and exaggerated gestures that became key elements to reveal the sitter’s inner turmoil through heightened Expressionist emotion.