Oskar Kokoschka approached the world around him introspectively, often interpreting his visions in portraits, landscapes, and other artworks. Around the turn of the twentieth century, Kokoschka and other similar artists began to reject conventional techniques and traditional subjects in favor of more emotional and spiritual content. Their combined efforts formed the basis of the Expressionist movement, which predominantly developed in Germany and Austria between 1905 and 1920. During his second trip to London in 1926, Kokoschka painted this scene of the Thames River, a vista he depicted many times throughout his career. In London, Large Thames View I, the artist effectively captured the bustling motion of the city and the meditative ambiance of the river at dusk in equal measure. Kokoschka established a bold contrast between the structures and the objects in the scene as well as visual balance through the use of a rich and energizing palette of cobalt blue, yellow ochre, and burnt sienna. The hand of the artist is also evident in the rapid and robustly applied brushstrokes, a distinctive characteristic of Kokoschka’s lively style.
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