Expressionism originated in Germany in the early 20th century as an artistic response to modern anxieties. It aimed to portray inner emotions rather than external reality through stylistic techniques like distortion and exaggeration. Three key periods included the Beginnings of Expressionism with artists like Van Gogh and Munch, the German group Die Brücke from 1905-1913, and after 1911 the Blue Rider group which had a more symbolic and abstract style influenced by Kandinsky. Expressionism rejected objective reality in favor of depicting subjective experience through vivid colors and shapes.