French impressionists, German expressionists in conversation
Camille Pissarro's famous Boulevard Montmartre at Night shows a brightly illuminated avenue in Paris - the city lights turned into gentle dabs of oil paint. Next to the French impressionist's 1897 work is a painting by German expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner from 1912, depicting a Berlin street scene in flashy yellow, blue and black - the broad brushstrokes clearly visible.
Both masterpieces are featured in Impressionism - Expressionism: Art at a Turning Point, a Berlin exhibition which opened on Friday and runs through Sept 20 at the city's Alte Nationalgalerie museum.
"In general, people think of art history as linear, that first impressionism came and then expressionism as a reaction. It is not that simple," says Philipp Demandt, director of Alte Nationalgalerie. "Impressionism paved the way for expressionism. These two styles of art have a lot in common, and we show that here."
